


Superior Soap Opera Background

by Archangel_Beth



Series: Superior Soap Opera [1]
Category: In Nomine
Genre: Background setting, Lilim, Multi, People want me to put this in epub-able formate, Self-redeeming Lilim, So many Lilim, Superior Soap Opera, crackfic, so glad AO3 does epub conversion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2018-12-19 23:47:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 27,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11908758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archangel_Beth/pseuds/Archangel_Beth
Summary: Years back, my spouse and I entertained each other by concocting the Superior Soap Opera -- In Nomine tabletop RPG setting -- in which the Archangel of Lightning decides it's worth his while to try to redeem the Princess of Freedom, and discovers that she may be the Third Avatar, of the Free Will that chooses between Destiny and Fate.Hijinks Ensue.These are the summaries of the Hijinks in question, as originally posted to a Yahoo group, then transported to a Livejournal community, then grabbed in raw form and put on my Dreamwidth account in case LJ gets shut down by its Russian Overlords or something.The SSO also spawned a couple of eras of online tabletop gaming, which are mostly not referenced here. At least one other person has used it as background, or inspiration, for their own gaming, and I have been urged to put it up here, on AO3, because of the ease of epub conversion.It's a little rough, still. You Have Been Warned.





	1. So this Lilim walks into a coffee bar

**Author's Note:**

> I would mark this with warnings for the Lilibetic, but really, look at the [CityOfCandles Livejournal] group's info page. This is fair warning.
> 
> Various additions from the original form will be marked with underlines, italics, brackets, or other whatnot.

(Somewhere around here is an actual quasi-formatted Word file that has the whole thing written up with adventure potential. This, however, got found first and will be posted first.)

**Let's see... First installment.**

It starts with Future History of a game that we _are_ (were, and might yet again someday be) playing, which may never turn out this way.

In the game, a Free Lilim has, for various reasons, become disillusioned with Hell. She's made her way to Boston, carrying 9 _years_ of Geasa. Boston is angelically dominated. The 9 years are because, after her last Geas was invoked by a Habbalite of Fate, she somehow managed to talk Mother into not selling her Geasa to the Words (Superiors or Servitors) of Fate, the Game, the War, Nightmares, and while she was at it, Factions or Death (ew, Shedite Princes!).

The name of this Free is, BTW, Urilebana. Yes, she's in the In Nomine Collection archives. 

(As it happens, after a brief burst of Lilim Sueness that kicks off the SSO, Urilebana settles down as a relatively bland and boring character with no more excitement in her life than any other NPC.)

In Boston, she walked into a bar which was run by angels. Said angels broke her brain into little bitty bits to the point where she croggled a Malakite of Judgment who got a CD 6 on his resonance roll. (He'd been expecting to be able to bash the icky demon who'd been fooling angels. He _got_ someone who, well, didn't really read as _demon_ much anymore. He gibbered.)

Only problem, no Free Brights, and those 9 years of Geasa. Well, 8, now. Jean bought a year (one of the angels was a Creationer in service to him, who reccomended acquiring the Lilim for intensive psychological manipulation) in exchange for a corporeal-to-celestial computer system for Lilith to enter all her records into. (With privacy agreements, etc.)

Now we get into future-history, which starts going over the top right now, and for that reason has a large chance of _not_ happening in the real game. But it's prompted some rather cool me-and-spouse quasi-RP.  (Anyone who doesn't find it cool can click the back button on the browser; no skin off my nose!) Future history included Yves purchasing the other 8 Geasa (almost unheard of, for Lilith to give up even the final Geas/1 she usually keeps on her Daughters) in exchange for granting Lilith safe passage in his Library for 8 years, to research and record whatever she wished, with, even, a limited number of helpers while she was there. (Lilith checks up on the kid and discovers her brain is pretty-well angel-fried. Yeah, yeah, better sell off the Geases quick before something happens.)

Lilith hangs onto the Geases until Yves directs who gets them. Yves promptly starts considering which Archangels the Free in question should meet...

Somewhere in this period, the Game catches up with our little green Renegade. And one of our annoying little space aliens (Dariel, aka "Darry," Elohite of Creation in service to Lightning, NPC most responsible for breaking the Lilim's brain into tiny little pieces to reassemble in a more angelic configuration) gets, well, creative. Such as accessing forbidden Lightning technologies, "losing" the finished product to the Game, and basically setting things up so that Azzie has in his Djinnish little paws a device that focuses Heavenlight onto someone rather like a Tether. It fries demonlings at low powers and even makes the little captive greenie wail. How ironic, to destroy her in a way that both proves Lilim can't survive in Heaven, and was dropped into Hell's hands by her friends. (In an abortive "rescue" wherein a Game-Tether was briefly assaulted.)

Come the day of the execution, which will be in a square in Shal-Mari. (Need an example to all the other little Free Greenies.) Three Princes in attendance -- Belial, for the expected pyrotechnics; Vapula, for the gizmo; Asmodeus, because he'd recently gotten a grudge against Lilim. [Another story, pertaining to Betharan (the younger)... Who, in this timeline, has yo-yo'ed _again_, to Gabriel's service.]

[Betharan, as listed in the fiction pages on the INC -- http://www.sjgames.com/in-nomine/articles/Fiction.html , IIRC. See my, or Maya's, version of HUNT.]

The device is pumped full of power. It's ready to go. NybbasCams are filming everything for Hell-wide live broadcast. The prisoner is chained to the execution post. The device is in position.

And in the Guildhall, sitting at one of those Jeanite computers (remember those?), is a Lilim who's recently had a wee Geas bought in exchange for a few relics. (Remember the Elohite of Eli attunement?)

The device, pumped full of power, is turned on. The Lilim presses a button, as she's been told. The computer sends a bit of email to a certain MIT Media Lab (Tether of Lightning in Boston) and deletes all records of that email. At the lab, Bezekiel, the Kyrio Seneschal, and Darry activate the other end of the device, and open a temporary Heaven-To-Hell conduit. (Based on the concept of Bridgestones, Liber Reliquarum, p. 73.)

From out of this conduit bamf: Tarien, "The Latex Seraph," Servitor of Creation in service to Destiny. (And part of the intimate trio with Our Green Heroine and Darry.) Kathriel, Malakite Angel of Sculpting who's been expanding her Word to sculpt souls and minds, and is a contender for low-level Archangelhood someday; she's a Creationer too, in service to nobody but hanging out with the Wind a lot. Two Windy Malakites with satchels of celestial-style explosives. And the Bright Betharan mentioned earlier, on flaming wings.

[[A version of Kathriel is in the Liber Servitorum Designer's Notes Article on Pyramid: http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/login/article.cgi?894 -- replace login/article.cgi? with sample.cgi? , I think, for non-subscribers.]]

Well, due to the rather larger and more powerful splash of Heavenlight than anyone expected ("You pumped too much power into it. Really."), that section of Shal-Mari is now down to Hellrock, most of the Princes are smouldering and bamfed out of range, and Asmodeus is showing his true Djinnform around the edges.

Tarian and Betharan are getting Urilebana (the Lilim captive) untied. (Her guards went up in a puff of evil, but she's just hurting a lot.) The Windys are doing something to the Device. Asmodeus is, in full nasty Djinnform (my conception has been closest to "a Cthuloid horror meets an Oriental dragon and ties itself into slimey, scaly knots"), heading into the Heavenlight to tear some angels apart. Kathriel is busy using her Word-power to turn the ground gooey and grabby under his talons. This gives everyone the necessary second or two to finish the rescue, and everyone ascends Very Fast to the top end of the Media Lab Tether. The Device blows itself to smithereens.

The tape of this, as much as some of the further cameras caught, is instantly declared grounds for the Game to Get Involved, which makes it an underground hit.

 

((As a further note, Betharan's angelic friends used this as a diversion to grab Tebah (Betharan's Djinn partner, who's being used as bait for her) from where he was being held, and getting him to a Judgment or Sword Tether, I forget which it was. It is indicative of her personality, and her friends', that they called the invasion of Hell a "diversion" for this project.))

[[Subsequent addition, since it may become important later... Betharan's Windy friends are Jahaziel ("Jaz"), Elohite of the Wind, and Zaphaniah ("Zaph"), Ofanite of the Wind. Also Jordan, Seraph of Judgment in service to Destiny (pending transfer of his Heart), who always wonders why the heck he's hanging around these loons... oh look at the pretty Bright awwwwwwwwwwww. (A version of Jordan showed up in Maya's [Fiat Justitia game](http://web.archive.org/web/20080210163715/http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~maya/nomine/fiat.html)).

See http://www.prismnet.com/~arcangel/Art/INArt.html for some art about this lot...]]

 

Meanwhile, after a fast descent down to the base of the Tether, Kath takes off before Judgment shows up. Janus shows up in a good mood to remove dissonance and do some Celestial Healing Songs. Darry and Tarien (with some tips of the ex-Gamester Bright, before she heads off to check on how the Teb-rescue went) set about trying to repair Urilebana's trauma from being in Game-hands for a month or three. A triad shows up to take names and escort Those Responsible to a nice little Full Council Trial, since invading Hell without orders is Just Not Done. Urilebana throws a  
hysterical fit at the idea of Darry (who takes responsibility as the mastermind of this stunt) being dragged off, and he's granted a week's respite. The triad can use the time to inquisit everyone there anyway.

At the end of the week, Urilebana is somewhat more together. Darry is escorted up. Tarien stays with Uri. Uri goes fret-fret-fret. (Remember, she's been traumatized by the Game recently. Judgment and the Game aren't that different to demons...) She's basically sure they're gonna kill Darry. She knows that Bright Lilim are valuable. She's listened to her sister's descriptions of both _her_ redemptions. (Yay, yo-yos.) She remembers something Tarien said to her once, after Tarien got a ÇD 6 on a resonance roll...

Urilebana says to Tarien, "I'd survive redemption." [Which Tarien'd said she would, long and long ago, correcting Uri's misapprehension that she'd turn into Lilim Soot.]

Tarien, who's got the +2 to CD for contact, says, "Uh, yeah."

Urilebana goes celestial and ascends up the HeavenTether. And manages to self-redeem. (As Dariel had speculated that she could, at one point.) On camera, as it happens -- Bezekiel was recording it. And broadcasting it to the Seraphim Council in the middle of Darry's trial.

Yves kindly shows up to escort the shakey Uri (and Tarien) to the Council chambers, with a brief detour through his Library so Uri can say, "Hi, Mom." Yves also hands Lilith a recording of the Incident. Lilith is quietly boggling -- both at the recording, and because of all her few Bright Daughters, Uri's the only one who doesn't have the Need for Mom to go Bright as well. (Urilebana's a raving loon on some topics. Loving her Mother for what she is, rather than wanting her changed, is one of them. It's all a human's fault, and that's another story altogether.)

Now, while the Seraphim Council is in recess to assimilate this new wrinkle (and Urilebana has her wings wrapped around Darry and is refusing to let go), is where the Superior Soap Opera starts...

Jean goes looking in the Library for anything regarding Spontaneous Redemption. He runs into Lilith, who is also researching this frantically. (Both have come up with, "It Doesn't Happen.") There is some discussion of "Self-Redeeming Lilim" (sort of like self-extracting archives...), and Jean takes it into his head that:

A: Lilith is rattled by this event.  
B: Lilim partake of Lilith's nature; this one, approximately 5 years old,  
     just self-redeemed. Perhaps Lilith herself is on a "softer" cycle of  
     her personality?  
C: If B is valid, he, Jean, has Dariel's weekly reports on how he'd been  
     dealing with Urilebana; more, he has _Uri's_ reports on her internal  
     state, from the year when she was in service to him.  
D: Of all times, NOW would be a good time to try to find out what makes  
     Lilith tick, in hopes of breaking _her_ away from Hell.

 

Thus, he prolongs the conversation and makes an effort to be... agreeable. Lilith, perfectly aware that he's a manipulative fellow, is nevertheless flattered that he's finally decided she's worth the attention. Besides, this could be an interesting, _new_ , association. When you're that old, novelty is a feature, not a bug...

[To Be Continued]


	2. Veruthea's Origin Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, this is taken from the yahoogroups archives (well, from my email archives of the same...), and anything I change, I will underline.
> 
> I remind everyone that it's called Superior Soap Opera for a reason...
> 
> * * *

In our last episode, Jean had just decided that it was _finally_ worth his while to psychoanalyze Lilith, while Lilith had decided that this was unusual enough to be both entertaining and flattering.

A series of meetings ensues. We get to see the Archangel of Lightning in a bathing suit, for instance, explaining molecular structure (and how it relates to his Word) with 3-d holographic props -- while both are in those little floatie chairs for swimming pools.

Jean gifts Lilith with a cutting-edge tech motorcycle (not _quite_ non-mortal tech, but _way_ expensive) which happens to be a relic which never runs out of fuel...

He also digs up the address of, and visits, the Angel of Comfortable (but stylish) Clothing, to get a nice leather catsuit-style motorcycling outfit. With nice little green go-faster striping and trim.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

A pause in the main plot of the story, to sketch out the Angel of Comfortable Clothing and her interesting history. (I forget who chose her Choir/Band. I have a feeling it was ze spouse.)

The Angel of Comfortable Clothing (who really needs a name [she got one: Veruthea]) was once a Servitor of Dark Humor. A Lilim, as it happens, with the Word of Stylish Clothing. Blame corsets on her, along with a lot of other really stupid and painful fashion fads, back in the days of Big Hair Wigs and such things. She used to be a Free, for a while, but quickly figured out that the only way to get a Word at all was to sign up with someone. So she did, and eventually got a Word \-- High Fashion. All well and good.

Then, well, there was this _annoying_ fellow who turned up and started... well, basically started wearing things out in public that tended to start their _own_ little fads in her area, which _she_ wasn't in control of. So she got annoyed, and sicced a demon she had a Geas on into getting into a duel with this dandy fop annoying fellow. (Okay, he's cute, but he's ANNOYING.)

The demon gets sent back to its Heart, via a lucky blow. Darnit. Oh, well, time for plan B.

Plan B, for many Lilim, involves the Seduction skill.

Funny how a short fling turned into a fun weekend. Funny how good a little portrait of her the guy did. Funny how... she never got any dissonance and kind of didn't notice that her Dark Humor requirements weren't _really_ being fulfilled.

Funny how this relationship kind of... worked out as a compromise along the lines of her starting fads which weren't _quite_ as extreme...

Funny how, when The Prince-Boss showed up in her base of clothing-operations, her Just-This-Guy, well, was standing up for her (Kobal wanted to know what she'd done _lately_ ). And, er, Kobal pitched a hissyfit, and, er, well, you know that feeling you get when you realize that you are in the room with not just _one_ Superior, but _two_?

Right.

_That_ feeling.

Wretched Archangel. Takes all the fun out of Dark Humor.

Anyway, the Angel of Comfortable Clothing is the oldest living Bright Lilim in the Superior Soap Opera. Also the only Word-bound one. She generally lives a quiet life making exquisite clothing (in Paris, natch, IIRC) which is extremely comfortable as well.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Where were we? Ah, right. The motorcycling outfits.

And one for himself, of course. With electric-blue trim.

There is, of course, much entertainment to be had when one is a Superior with a Really Keen Motorbike and the ability to basically fly or teleport at will. Follow-the-leader and Tag games are somewhat surreal. Lots of "over the ocean" stuff, of course. And when you get bored with that, you send the motorcycle home (and outfit) and fix your vessel to be mer, or have wings, or whatever...

It can be _very_ hard to tag (or escape being tagged by) someone who occasionally turns into a lightning bolt and re-materializes in front of one. On the other hand, it's hard to tag someone whose very Word specializes in things like escape, no? A reasonably fair match.

No, none of these rather wild rides ends, ah, the way you might expect. After all, when you've been around as long as a certain Princess has... the chase is all part of the fun, and to be drawn out as long as possible before adding another stamp to the nose of the plane. (Did I say that she had no ego? Of course I didn't.)

Hm. Best to go into the frictionless honey relic creation later, I think. This installment is late enough already.


	3. Frictionless Honey and the second .SRL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Combining Updates 3 and 3.5.
> 
> * * *

**Update 3:**

_In our last episode, Jean had just decided that it was **finally** worth his while to psychoanalyze Lilith, while Lilith had decided that this was unusual enough to be both entertaining and flattering._

_A series of meetings ensues._  
[...]  
_Hm. Best to go into the frictionless honey relic creation later, I think. This installment is late enough already._

Things To Do When Courting A Princess (For The Explicit Purpose Of Psychoanalyzing Her And Busting Her Loose From Hell):

* Use Seraph of Lightning attunement (Superior modification) to get some "photos" and find a _very_ talented human artist to paint a portrait. (The artist is Karen, NPC who showed up in the game that Urilebana (remember her?) is meant for. Urilebana had a human boyfriend  [Name of Marcus? Nick?] at the time, whom she'd picked up mostly because he Needed a girlfriend and she was planning to get him to do stuff for her. Meeting up with angels ixnayed that, and she was looking for a place to let him down easy. Turns out that he and Karen hit it off well. O:> )

>   
> The portrait is entitled Freedom (not with any hints), and is of Lilith in her "usual" vessel (surprisingly short for a Princess, green eyes, dark hair, tanned). At the time, she was standing at the very edge of a mountainous drop-off, with the wind in her hair and Word-leakage all over the place. It's a very striking picture; clearly the artist blew a lot of Essence over it.
> 
> Much later, Lilith visited the artist in her role as a rich European, and wound up inviting Karen and (drat it, what _was_ her boyfriend's name??) to visit. Karen did, painted a lot, and did a piece which had Lilith  & Lilim as humans posed above a swimming pool -- and a reflection of them as fey (fay? Fae?) and dangerous, at night, in the pool. Blew lots of Essence. Made a lovely piece. Various people showed up to admire it. Including the Archangel of Creation, who made it a relic so it would be a lot harder to damage. IIRC, the title was "Queen of Air and Darkness." Where everyone had trooped out for the "night scene" shot, a Tether of Creation formed. Lilith said, roughly, "Waugh??!" and managed to get Eli to show up and stabilize the thing before, paraquote, "It moves to my spare bedroom or swimming pool and I get Judgment triads popping out of it and falling in." A Mercurian Seneschal in the vessel of a wildcat (with a spare as a rather dryadish female) was created for the small Tether.  
> 

* Allow oneself to be dumped into a hot-tub full of relic honey in the interests of "seeing if it sticks to Elohim." Upon his going celestial and heading for the swimming pool, however, Lilith Freed all the water into oxygen and hydrogen. Whereupon Jean used some of _his_ lesser-known Word-powers to mess with the molecules (what's the term, strong and weak nuclear forces?) and created frictionless honey. Frictionless relic honey. (The Lilim who work at Liberty Hall (Lilith's favorite estate) gathered it all up into bottles to sell in Shal-Mari.)

* Stand outside in rain and sun and dark of night, when Lilith's had a snit-fit about something obscure and wait for her to deal with the Archangelic instantiation parked there and alarming her "girls." (Who sent Urichislon, The Unfazable Weird Lilim, out to talk to him. And she went.)

* Encourage her to drop interesting sensors in a Vapulan lab which seems to have opened a "black hole" into Limbo. (And subsequently discover (along with her) that she can -- being a Superior _and_ a sorcerer -- summon demons out of Limbo... This amuses her enough that she winds up with a row of bowls of catatonic Habbalite goldfish on her shelf. Using her abilities to Free one of catatonia gets a rabidly psychotic goldfish instead, so she abandons that project.)

>   
>           [As a side-note, she does get one redeemable out of that Yank Demons out of Limbo project, which she hands off to Jean with a shrug. She's currently none too fond of the Game right now, and it pleases her to expidite a would-be-Elohite to the bright side. Besides, it means people owe her. She also gets one sort-of redeemable... which, as an experiment, she doesn't want redeemed, but does want... trained. And trained to stay out of her rose-bushes, darn it! Self-punishment is not an option. This is handed out to Kathriel, IIRC, Malakite Angel of Sculpting, who has a rough approximation in the Liber Servitorum Designer's Article on Pyramid. Kath is in male form for this little intervention, and displaying an ability to be flexible. If a demon does no evil, it's almost as good as making a demon want to be a _real_ angel, right?]  
> 

* Spend a week or so playing, um, pet. (I believe this was as payment for a favor, technically.) This is where he first met Urichislon, as it happens, who guessed his nature somewhat, and asked him questions with a bland curiosity that would have done an Elohite proud. They were mutually intrigued. (Lilith finally sent him away early because it was no fun to have him gagged, but when he talked, it broke her brain.)

* And finally, the most important part, be around when Lilith reports that she was puttering in the Library (remember what she sold Urilebana's Geases to Yves for?) and the Library kept dumping this stupid little prophecy at her, in three separate translations. It has various verses predicting (maybe) the Fall, and then a comment about "The Third Avatar, who will choose between the First and Second."

Lilith expects Jean to laugh with her over stupid prophecies. Instead, he is thoughtful. Anything the Library basically _throws_ at someone is unlikely to be the silly scribblings that Lilith calls it.

The First Avatar is, of course, Yves. The Second, it is easily found out, is Kronos. So the Third...

Who is human-formed in every realm? Who was _created_, not born of mortals? Who holds a Word in contradiction to what celestials think possible?

Geeeeeeeeeeeee.............

Jean postulates that Lilith's Word is not Freedom alone, but "the Choice Between Destiny and Fate." In short, "Free Will."

Lilith, naturally, is unimpressed with this logic...

[To Be Continued]

* * *

**Update 3.5:**

Once again, underlining anything I might find to change.

* * *

As a minor side plot which is going on during the major one, we return to lower-powered beings. In particular, one Mehida, Free Lilim. Drawing upon certain fanfics which I'm keeping fairly close to my chest (hoping for the day when they can be published officially), Mehida was targeted as a potentially redeemable Lilim.

Yves dangles another six months or so of Library access in front of Lilith, who mutters something about getting what she can out of Mehida before the angels ruin her entirely, and tosses Yves the Geas-token.

Mehida gets assigned to help this Stray Random Human Guy form a band. (The kind with music -- note capitalization! O:> ) She grits her teeth and does so -- even if an angel shows up to give you your Geas-orders... Well, a Geas is a Geas.

Now, since Urilebana's "Self-Redeeming Lilim" trick (Lilith: "No, I did _not_ put a .srl on her Forces."), Dariel has been handed over to Destiny. Probably by the scruff of his little white neck, since Jean does not really approve of Creationers getting into Lightning files and taking advantage of their immunity to Lightning's dissonance conditions to build stuff -- even slightly modified stuff -- they find in those files.

Yves is also the one who knows about Mehida.

Terian is already IST Destiny.

Urilebana, Free Bright (the question of her Superior was tabled indefinitely, basically), is perfectly happy to "take the commission"...

The lunatic trio infiltrate the band. (Terian and Urilebana as back-up singers and back-up guitars, IIRC, and Dariel on the drums.) All goes well. Mehida, in fact, is apparently enjoying this job and getting somewhat romantically involved in her human "subject."

In the middle of this, Jean does _something_ (he's not sure what; Lilith is very good at shielding, even against his native Elohite resonance) which annoyed Lilith greatly. [Unfortunately, I've forgotten exactly what it was; from the pieces I recall, it was a bit of classic mis-communication between angel-think and Princess-think, and probably involved Lilith not wanting to get? Allow? too much attachment.]

So, being a sensible Elohite, he goes a'hunting for a reasonable explanation. First, he contacts Urilebana, who is young and now Bright and not sure she's right or able to explain things. _She_ points him at Mehida. Mehida would probably not have been happy about this, as an Archangel turns up on her doorstep. Without explaining much, Jean does indeed get a crucial bit of Lilim-think out of Mehida which seems to fit the facts of what's going on. Pleased, as this seems to help untangle the complicated emotional stuff going on, he gives her Remote Control and zips off. Mehida is left boggled.

What with one thing and six others, though, Game agents eventually stumble upon The One Who Got Away (Urilebana) and Cohorts (Terian, Dariel), and they have to skedaddle. Along with Mehida and her human boyfriend. Things happen, Eli shows up, the human turns into a Soldier, the van and various vessels get some alterations so they don't look quite the same anymore, a few musical skills are dropped into various brains, and the fivesome start doing the RenFaire circuit. (Terian "snakehips" on the tamborine, Urilebana with pipes, etc. The lack of actual Choir meshing with the instruments is deliberate. No reason to make things easy for any Gamesters who accidentally stumble into a RenFaire!)

Alas, eventually matters catch up with them -- a Gamester attempts to run over Mehida in a parking lot. Her Soldier boyfriend pushes her aside, getting gravely wounded in the process. A small wild Tether opens up, leading somewhere brightside.

Mehida, in a bit of a panic, runs for help celestially -- and manages to become the second Self Redeeming Lilim (though with some Force-damage). A few of Protection's angels zip down the Tether and deal with matters (healing, defense -- what they're _good_ at)...

The fivesome get to be a troubleshooting team -- Mehida slipping through the same "who redeemed her? nobody? errrr" loophole that Urilebana did, so that they're Free Brights together.

And we return to the Superior part of the SSO...


	4. Angel-chocolate and the Heavenborn

_Things To Do When Courting A Princess (For The Explicit Purpose Of Psychoanalyzing Her And Busting Her Loose From Hell):_

_* Stand outside in rain and sun and dark of night, when Lilith's had a snit-fit about something obscure and wait for her to deal with the Archangelic instantiation parked there and alarming her "girls." (Who sent Urichislon, The Unfazable Weird Lilim, out to talk to him. And she went.)_

With lemonade, as it happened.

>   
> A quick side-excursion. Angel-chocolate. Chocolate can be, literally, divine. Creationers are very good at making this version (of course)... Angel-chocolate puts one more in tune with the Symphony. Most demons think it smells VILE, and it is in fact at least mildly poisonous to them. White angel-chocolate is even more potent than the dark stuff, and those who partake of it are strongly connected to the Symphony and anyone else they're touching -- _especially_ if that other person has taken chocolate as well. The white stuff is basically deadly to any demon who is forced to ingest it and can't yarp it up quickly enough. Even low doses are highly toxic. (Hiding the "stench" of it from a demon pretty hard, though -- it's not a good secret weapon.)
> 
> Urilebana was remarkable in that she could eat the _white_ stuff, even with a blackwing, before she was redeemed. The effects were not precisely the pure, Song-of-Unity-related mental cuddlespace that normal angels got, but hey, Urilebana is weird.
> 
> Humans are also adversely affected -- it's not meant for mortal souls. (Souls in Heaven, that's another story.) At best, it can be addictive.
> 
> Lilith has a hobby, it turns out, of cutting dark angel-chocolate with the mundane stuff and sometimes eating it. Sort of the same effects as eating those highly poisonous sushi things, really. The greater the proportion of angel-chocolate, the larger the buzz. It basically makes her a bit tipsy. (Of course, the trick is to avoid either addiction or a toxic overdose.)
> 
> We now exit the diversion of angel-chocolate.  
> 

Ah, yes, and then there were the HeavenBorn.

Somewhat early on in the courtship, Jean pulled one of his Secret Projects out of storage -- the "fly into space, FTL-equipped shuttle." They visited the rings of Saturn. (Vapula would've been SOOOOO cheesed if he'd known.) Then they did some space-skydiving with parachute-wing effects, which was quite entertaining. (If you're going to try to entice a Princess, break out the stops. It's only logical.)

But anyhow, this event will return...

The topic of Lilim comes up, especially self-redeeming ones. Can Lilith create a Bright? Dunno, she's never tried. Perhaps it would be interesting to try. Does Jean want one?

It is allowed that having a Lilim of Lightning might be useful. Of course, this would require some fresh Forces with a strong Lightning flavor to them. Would, perchance, the nice Archangel swear never to discuss the method by which Lilim are created? Why, yes, he would so swear.

Of course, he also has to swear that Lilith won't be endangered, and the Lilim created is _free_ to do what she will -- bind to him, bind to some other Archangel, remain Free (bright or dark), bind to a Prince, etc. This, too, can be agreed to. (Though -- and he doesn't mention this -- if such a Daughter of his Forces "went bad," he'd make it a priority to... eliminate the problem.)

What winds up happening is a secret excursion to the Halls of Progress, carefully shielded from the Light of Heaven. A high dose of the angel-chocolate blend. A room with the rings of Saturn holographed onto the wall. 8 Forces direct from Jean himself, one from Lilith. The name of Celeste.

Celeste was born green and horned, and wanted both about an hour's discussion of the pros and cons of this redemption stuff _and_ a taste of chocolate (she being close enough to Bright for this to be non-toxic) to see what this Symphony thing is about. A very, er, logical approach. Eventually, yes, Jean got a Bright of Lightning.

(For those who keep track of such things, she has an electric blue aura and wing-pattern. She keeps her wings covered via the affectation of a long white lab coat (yes, the wings need not be covered by such a thing; it's a deliberate affectation). She also keeps her hair in a bun and wears glasses, for similar affectation preferences. Her Force configuration is low on Corporeal, high on Ethereal, and average on Celestial. There, enough to make an NPC. O;> )

Naturally, Celeste must be announced to the Seraphim Council.

The next Heaven-born is Diamond (DEE-ah-maund), Bright Lilim of Marc. (Who came into being in a tent overlooking much of the Bazaar, with satin and velvet cushions around. Her price was primarily corporeal wealth, as opposed to Celeste, whose price had the "prototype discount.")

Now, somewhere in here, Lilith sends along a nice little note to Laurence and Dominic that if they're feeling left out, of _COURSE_ she'd do up a Bright for them. Why, for no more than the Essence and Force-replacement required to make the Lilim!

Yves and Jean persuade Dominic to call her bluff. In particular, they comment that he'd get a chance to resonate her. That if Forces carry memetic weight, it would be a way to slip some "angelic" mindset into her -- and she'd be _agreeing_. (Why is Yves going along with this? Funny, no one thinks to ask that. Would he encourage anything not related to Destiny?) 

Eventually, he (Dominic) gives in. (The chance to catch Lilith with her shields down and slip in a few questions is, indeed, probably the only chance he's going to get to Judge (if not sentence) her, this side of Armegeddon...) 

Lilith is rather stunned that her bluff has been called, but her pride refuses to let _her_ back down. She shows up, in the big sun-hat.

There is... interesting interaction, old Truths read, and perhaps a bit of character development in that the Other Side becomes a little more of a person and a little less of a cardboard cutout to be mocked or scorned. This does not, mind, mean they like each other.

The outcome (and no, it does _NOT_ require _that_ kind of contact; it's just that using the freshest Forces to spin a Lilim is best done with the AA in question handing them into the mix _right then_ ) is Lexis, who is not very green at all, has rather insubstantial horns, and who then proceeds to walk out onto the balcony into the Light of Heaven and self-redeem without a second thought while her "parents" gawp.

It is while Lexis is taking her first flight around the Spires that Lilith daftly Need-reads the uncloaked Dominic, and gets hit right between the eyes with the NEED TRUSTWORTHY OTHER bit. While, it should be noted, she is still tipsy from angel-chocolate.

Lexis lands, Need-reads Mom, who is currently in the mode of "Need -- want to fulfill Need -- WAUGH GEDDIT AWAY FROM ME! -- make Need go away" So she lets Lexis see _her_ Need to make Dominic's Need go 'way, hands her Daughter a month-Geas, and basially says, "Take care of it." Then she leaves, without bothering to collect the Force or Essence she had said would be the payment.

It can be assumed that the whole bit there bugged her, and indeed, she did swear off of Seraph Forces for a good long time.

She did recover enough to send Laurence another "Well, what about you?" note. (Yeah, like the son of Purity'd take her up on it!)

Miracles never cease. Bright Blade of the Moon is one weeeeiiiird Lilim. But she didn't self-redeem. (Same arguements as for Dominic, backed by Dominic pointing out, " _You_ thought that Lexis' creation would be an interesting way to gain information on the Enemy. So why are you looking to me for a 'don't do it'?" Or words to that effect.)

(Various other events, including a duel to first blood (Laurence won, duh), and the thought of, "He wouldn't agree _again_...ohcrud," result in Wind of Honor, Fighterjock Jetpilot Lilim Swordie. Jokes that maybe Laurence _liked_ it are not reccomended, though.)

And those are the Heavenborn.

So, for this chunk of the SSO, the Bright Lilim are:

> Mira (Dreams, canon)
> 
> Un-named Destiny Bright, later got... Hannah, was it? I need to look that up. [Pretty sure it's Hannah, yeah. Repurposed into a Creationer SSO PC's girlfriend.]
> 
> Veruthea, the Angel of Comfortable Clothing (Creation), the eldest Bright living, formerly the Kobalite Demon of High Fashion and responsible for certain uncomfortable, stupid-looking clothing fads before Eli personally suckered her.
> 
> Moonshadow, in the online game, another ex-Kobalite, IIRC, and I think Word-bound. Must dig up those logs. Now a Creationer.
> 
> "The Flowers Sister" (Flowers), name never given; a tough redemption case who at least acts like she has one Ethereal Force and it's all in Precision. Very sweet, very Flowers, very, well, dumb. Reputed to be a former Baalite or Servitor of Belial.
> 
> Urilebana, the first Self Redeeming Bright
> 
> Mehida, the second Self Redeeming Bright
> 
> Beth-haran (in game SSO, the Younger), Lunatic PsychoLilim of bright Fire, former Gamester, former Windy, former Free. Yo-yo in spades.
> 
> Celeste, Heavenborn of Lightning
> 
> Diamond, Heavenborn of Trade
> 
> Lexis, Heavenborn of Judgment (with a tendency to hug her Father which quite disconcerts him and which Jean reinforced)
> 
> Bright Blade of the Moon, Heavenborn of the Sword (known as Bright-Blade)
> 
> Wind of Honor, Heavenborn of the Sword

This is about as many as have ever been sighted in Heaven ever before, and quite unusual.

Anyway, back to the main thread....

...next belated installment.


	5. The Prophecy of the Third Avatar

In our last episode, Lilith has had Yves' Library pitching prophecies at her. Expecting Jean to share in her "oh-good-grief" amusement, she showed him one.

_It has various verses predicting (maybe) the Fall, and then a comment about "The Third Avatar, who will choose between the First and Second." Jean postulates that Lilith's Word is not Freedom alone, but "the Choice Between Destiny and Fate." In short, "Free Will."_

_Lilith, naturally, is unimpressed with this logic..._

However, if Lilith is an Avatar, implicitly _chosen by God_ to fulfill a role in the Symphony, no good Elohite can overlook this potential.

Jean talks to Yves. Yves is enigmatic. Jean looks up data. Lilith looks up some data on this, too, but the only thing is a treatise by Raphael about Avatars, Destiny, and Fate. While a second treatise was hinted at, apparently it was not written before the Archangel of Knowledge kamikazed into Legion. Phooey.

Eventually, Jean persuades Lilith to try something that should prove the theory fairly strongly, if it works. Word-bind someone. Yves can do it, right? Kronos can probably do it...

Lilith is, understandably, leery of Word-binding a demon. If it works, it will probably be found out quickly by Lucifer, who would NOT be pleased. Therefore, they need an angel.

Jean volunteers one of his. He also teaches her the way that the Seraphim Council binds Words. (In the SSO, this is basically with the entire Council (or a goodly fraction thereof) and the Word-bound-to-be raising their voices in song and harmonizing the candidate with the Word.)

So Lilith tries it. And, with a little help from Jean, it works! The Elohite Angel of Freeware now exists. Lilith is not entirely pleased. She attempts to claim it's a fluke; Jean did it. He was helping, right? Maybe it requires fewer Superiors than was thought. Maybe the Word won't stick. Maybe the Elohite will turn into a Habbie. Maybe they'll both dissolve into the Symphony.

This does not happen. The word sticks, the Elohite stays angelic and non-tattooed. The Princess twitches.

And she begins thinking about the implications.

Still, perchance it is a fluke. Must be. Gotta be.

But if it's not...

Lilith begins to establish some relations with a few Grigori she knows. (Of course she knows Grigori, right?) She suspects that not all the high-powered ones are dead or in Limbo, and she wants to get in touch with them.

Still, there is frivolity to be done. (In Lilith's case, to get her mind off of all this annoyance, and in Jean's, to humor her and thus make her more manipulable in the right sorts of ways. Sneaky, ruthless, manipulative little space aliens, those Elohim.) And in the frivolity of levitating motorcycles out in the middle of nowhere, Janus shows up. And gets told the interesting news about Lilith and Word-binding. (He slews around a bit at this, but is, naturally, pleased. Change! Interesting Change! Topsy-turvy Change! Change good!)

So he volunteers one of his people for a second try.

This results in the Elohite Angel of Freefall. (Who promptly hovers around the room a bit, as freedom from gravity seems to have been incorporated into her Word.) And this time, there was no Archangelic help at all. Jean basically kicks Janus and Freefall out, since he senses that Lilith is in a bit of an emotional crossroads and he doesn't want Windy randomity interfering.

For her part, the Princess of Freedom -- Avatar of Free Will? -- is coming to the conclusion that, Avatar or not, she's got an ability which can't be hidden forever. And when it comes to light, Lucifer's going to have a hissyfit. There is no way that he's going to tolerate two sources of Words for demons. (And, curse it, in attempting to prove it false -- because there was NO WAY it could be true! NONE! Total fiction! -- she's let angels get blackmail on her... Even Superiors make mistakes, especially when in a state of denial.)

So there's only one thing to do, really.

Go Renegade in the biggest, most powerful way possible. Establish a power-base quickly, so that after people stop gibbering, they'll be unwilling to risk attacking. Gather allies.

It's the only way to survive, and in truth, the Freedom of it sings to her.

In a grumpy mood, she bamfs away. And begins working.

[To Be Continued, sometime in another few months, probably. O:p ]


	6. Misunderstandings and Urchislon, the Weird Lilim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of the old Yahoo summaries. Again, underlining changes from there. And Blockquotes for further expansions.

In our last episode, Lilith had discovered that, "Avatar of the Symphony" or not, she can Word-bind. 

This, she knows full well, will not endear her to Lucifer.

And so she prepares to actually, really, run for it.

First, she starts ensuring that her corporeal finances are in order. That her estates will either be stripped of anything she feels like keeping, or appropriately fortified. She starts figuring out where her Free Daughters are. She starts figuring out how long it's going to take her to get this show on the road.

She talks to Jean. She won't go to Heaven. No way, no how, nuh-uh. And, in Elohite fashion, he agrees. Perhaps she should not. If she is a third Avatar then clearly there should be a third side, perhaps even a third realm.

Lilith: "Mrphl." But she'll take any help she can get, right now, so she lets this annoying importance-placed-upon-prophetic-drivel slide.

And, basically, they agree to elope.

They haul Eli in on this plan, too. He's walkabout already, and when he's in his right mind, he's pretty potent. Creation is, after all, a freakin' big Word. So they troop out to the Tether in Lilith's back yard, and both yell for him, basically. (Yay Celestial Song of Tongues!)

Eli shows up, since having a Princess and an Archangel both demanding his attention, at one of his Tethers, is unusual enough to be something to see. Mind, he also brings along a huge surf-wave and his board, but hey.

They tell Eli their plan. Eli falls off his board in shock. (A good reaction. Lilith's mood improves slightly.) They ask if he wants in. He agrees. He and Jean go off to plan.

Lilith contacts the Grigori. Certain things happen which I cannot talk about because they're derived from protocanon which is intended to surprise and boggle when it happens, and I refuse to give up hope. Suffice it to say that Lilith is appropriately shocked and boggled, and enlists their help.

Also tangled up in that is a matter of old associates, still around after all these centuries, and Lilith arranging a meeting between a certain one and the Archangel of Lightning. And then, in the belief that this will cause the demise of the still-not-physically-consummated attraction that she and Jean have had going on, she leaves the pair at the little restaurant and walks away.

> In the SSO game, this is expanded upon, though kind of off-screen. One of the Grigori who gets contacted is Jediael. Jediael, the _current_ Archangel of Knowledge, who gained her Word when Raphael died. Jediael mentions that she knows Jean _quite well_. Lilith... takes this entirely the wrong way. Sets up a meeting with what she assumes are a couple of old flames. And bows out.
> 
> What was not thoroughly explained to her is that Jediael is the Force-child of Jean and Raphael, and their relationship is... rather different. Yes, the whole Word thing is _complicating the heck_ out of things. (Did that Word-inheritance come with memories? WHO KNOWS!?! Okay, God knows. But as ever, the Divine is not talkin'.) But suffice to say, the reunion is not going to be a romantic one.

Jean bamfs an instantiation outside, in front of her, and tries to get her to talk. She tells him to go away and bamfs to her house. He bamfs after her, landing outside, and she bamfs down to Hell. So he stands there and waits.

(Meanwhile, another instantiation of him is having a conversation with the old associate and getting caught up. Of course.)

* * *

An interlude. I have alluded to Urichislon before. The Unfazable Weird Lilim. Well, she is.

Urichislon was created, given a job and vessel by Lilith, and taken up to Earth to do it, all within the space of a few hours. When she got there, she encountered Jordan, Seraph of Judgment (who has an alternate timeline version over in Maya's Fiat game: http://web.archive.org/web/20071001062554/http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~maya/nomine/fiat.html ), who was serving time entering data into Lilith's new Lightning-supplied computer system. And taking notes.

Basically, Urichislon somewhat imprinted on him, and between his inadvertant teachings of "Pause and consider your actions," and her own natural bias toward Ethereal Forces, what resulted was a mostly fearless young Lilim with a streak of understated (but strong) curiosity and a fairly well thought-out decision to not become malicious. (The better to avoid Malakim.)

Lilith invited Terian to visit her at one point (a side diversion which I think I forgot to mention), and Terian wound up in a threesome with the two nicest Lilim she found at Liberty Hall: Urichislon and "Tia" (Tiana), The Lilim Who Cooks.

Urichislon also -- unbeknownst to her -- has the most yoiksome fate/destiny pairing that most Servitors of Destiny and Malakim get to see. She has the potential for Princess or Archangel.

No one is telling her, and anyone who finds out is generally told, by someone who already knows, not to push her. Pushing her one way is likely to wind up influencing her the other.

* * *

By this time, all the Lilim who work at Liberty Hall have figured out that Lilith's entertaining an Archangel. And an Elohite one at that. Mind, this is easily explained as "recruitment," but it's still unnerving.

So when Jean decides to stand vigil outside Lilith's house, who do they pick to go out and A: tell him that Lilith's not there and said she's not coming back till that Archangel leaves, and B: find out what it'll take to get him to go away?

Urichislon, who collects some favors for being the one to do this, that's who.

She goes out and gets the reply that he's going to stay there till Lilith comes back and _talks_ to him.

This does not make the Lilim in the house happy, but at least he's staying outside.

Urichislon offers him some lemonade and a parasol, but he politely refuses. (It would spoil the effect if he were to be comfortable.)

Likewise, he politely refuses an umbrella when it rains.

However, Urichislon continues to come out, because how else is she going to get to talk to an intelligent Archangel who is patently not going anywhere else in a hurry, and is therefore available to have his brains picked?

And so it is that Jean, in return, asks Urichislon about where Freedom Tethers go. And strikes up a small bargain. If he gets Urichislon to a Freedom Tether, will she plant a small, unobtrusive relic there?

Urichislon agrees. Further, she agrees with the price being, "Whatever you think is appropriate."

(This is, basically, a test of the theory that Archangels are more fair about rewards than Princes are, as angels claim.)

It just so happens that this little device is, essentially, a homing beacon.

After it's been planted, and after a suitable amount of time has gone by...

The Guildhall rings with the appearance of a Superior. Not a Prince -- they don't make disturbance in Hell -- but definitely a Superior.

The keeper of the Tether-room goes YEEK and flees, yelling for Mother. Lilith appears but a few seconds later, furious and appalled, and demands that Jean get the heck OUT of there! He asks if she'll talk with him? She tells him to scram. He asks if she'll talk with him, after? She agrees (Fine, FINE! Now GET OUT OF HERE, BAKA!), and he bamfs out.

(She puts about that someone was testing a Tether's endpoint and was driven away...)

[to be continued, since the toddler woke up...]


	7. How to divert a Seraph Superior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short segment.

In our last episode, Jean had just snuck into Hell briefly, in order to make Lilith promise to _talk_ to him. After all, one cannot psychoanalyze someone who doesn't get within range!

Meanwhile, in Heaven...

Now, Dominic was never very keen on this little bout of psychoanalysis, and was therefore dropping in on Jean rather a lot. (Not to mention he hasn't forgiven Jean for telling Lexis that even if Dominic says she shouldn't hug him, he really Needs hugs anyway.)

While Jean kept Dominic informed, though, the Archangel of Judgment was willing to put up with things.

But there's just one little hitch here: Jean didn't tell Dominic about the Avatar thing. He also didn't tell Dominic that he was planning to elope. Instead, to divert that worthy, perceptive Seraph, Jean told him that he seemed to be falling (LITTLE f, LITTLE f) in love with the Princess of Freedom. This, naturally, provoked the expected consternation and frantic questions as to whether or not this emotion was interfering with Jean's Elohite objectivity. And, indeed, it would seem that he was being objective enough for the Symphony's purposes. So Dominic goes away, flustered, worried, making notes to keep a close eye on Jean... but without having asked the right questions to get what Jean is actually plotting.

Elohim are mean.


	8. Superiors Make Up at Disneyland

In our next-to-last episode, Jean had just snuck into Hell briefly, in order to make Lilith promise to _talk_ to him. After all, one cannot psychoanalyze someone who doesn't get within range! In our last episode, he'd bamboozled Dominic into not asking the right questions that would cause that worthy Seraph to pounce upon Jean and brick him up in a non-conductive cell.

Back to psychoanalysis.

[A brief interlude wherein I share the characterization of the pair as "The Odd Couple -- Her: cunning, wild, party girl; Him: intelligent, restrained, technoguru." And then tack on a, "They fight crime! When A: she feels like it and/or B: it seems necessary." Right, back to the plot-such-as-it-is. Remember you can unsubscribe anytime you feel like it. O:> ]

Having promised to talk to THAT IDIOT Archangel of Lightning, Lilith does so, somewhat grudgingly and with a lot of berating him for that STUPID STUNT he pulled, going into Hell. What if Baal or Asmodeus had shown up, huh? Or Kronos? Or the Lightbringer himself??? YEESH! And here she thought Elohim were supposed to be SMART!

Yes, there are a lot exclamation points and all-caps words in the discussion. Jean, meanwhile, infuriatingly maintains his serene exterior and occasionally comments that it seemed like it was the only way he would be able to get her to talk to him. (Elohim are, as mentioned before, mean.)

After a while of this, and getting tired of maintaining a sound-Shield around them while she yells at him in her courtyard, they wind up horseback riding. Jean's horse is entirely robotic, mind, but it's the thought that counts, right?

During the ride, he manages to weasle around to the conversation he _wants_ to have, which discusses why she did such a seemingly selfless thing as, essentially, give up the chance at another trophy notch in her bedpost. (Yes, she was under the impression that the introduction would lead to _that_ kind of a relationship, with herself as a "fifth wheel" to gracefully bow out.)

(By this time, anyone reading the online-game SSO logs will suspect that this is Jediael, and that Lilith was under the impression that the relationship was not a _platonic familial_ one.)

Naturally, she doesn't want to talk about it, and no small amount of somewhat acid "logic" is flung about. Jean's private assessment is that there was a large chunk of "Yes, she does care somewhat for my happiness; interesting" as well as, "She sees this attachment as a vulnerability, and was therefore seeking to divert me, as a protective tactic; interesting and something to watch out for in the future."

Meanwhile, Lilith has managed to hit _him_ with a Need-reading, to "disprove" the notion that he's actually at all fond of her and not just faking it to manipulate her. (Notice a pattern? Something too good/impossible to be true, so she tests it to make sure... and sometimes it bites her. Well, nobody's perfect.) What she gets is a need to see her... happy. Ow, ow, ow, the cognitive dissonance.

The conversation turns to various other things, and -- after returning her horse to the stables -- they wind up at Disneyworld. On Jean's 'bot horse. Which he leaves parked out in the parking lot. (Hey, it's _DISNEYWORLD_. It'll fit in perfectly with all the animatronic stuff, right?) Why Disneyworld? Because what's the good of being a supernaturally powerful being, with a strong urge to promote a Universal Concept, if you can't go to Disneyworld and ride the rollercoasters when you feel like it?? Or use your supernaturally perfect voice to sing, "It's A Small World After All" about fifty-leven-dozen times to annoy the Elohite? Or wear a Mouse Ears hat? (I mean, if you're just another tourist, who's going to notice? And if anyone knows you're not just another tourist, are they going to dare to laugh?)

And, well, a fun time is had.

And when the day is done, they traipse back to the Robot Horse (still where it was left; no comments as to whether the burglar alarms were triggered on it or not), and they head down (the Celestial Song of Motion is WAY COOL) to watch a night-time Shuttle launch from the "no gawkers" side of things.

Around in here, it should be noted, Lilith has, indeed, been happy. Just as someone Needed. Yes, a hook. No, she's not mentioning it.

And this, paradoxically or not, makes her feel just a little bit, well, safer. (One is always safer when one has a Geas or a Geas-hook on someone, right?) So of course that angelic SOB manages to be _just_ the perfect date, and dammit, she has to admit that she _was_ being concerned that he was going to stop being really _interested_ in her once the old associate returned to the equation.

Because, when you're fixing to up stakes and flee from a place that's been home (admittedly a rather dysfunctional one, in the bad part of town, but home nonetheless), it's a bit of a nasty shock to think that your partner in mayhem might not have his heart fully in it. Frankly, she's still not sure that such a thing isn't going to happen in the future...

Fortunately for his health, he doesn't make any comments when he finds that she's having a bit of a cry on his shoulder. He does let himself feel just a little bit pleased, though, at the reasons behind it...

[It's a Soap Opera. Angsty characters get to do things like that.]


	9. Trust Takes Unexpected Forms

In our last episode, Lightning and Freedom have made up, and Lilith now has a hook on him which she's oh-so-not mentioning.

Down to the serious planning.

Lilith has certain Domains in the Marches where she can garner a bit of support, and if nothing else, could almost certainly build her own dreamscape into a Domain. It wouldn't be celestial, but it'd be better than nothing.

Jean feels that if Lilith takes up the mantle of Avatar, then a third division of the celestial realm should come into being somehow. But if not, a Far Marches Domain is better than nothing. He instantiates off to talk to Eli, while in Heaven he starts preparing some interesting little gizmos, and at Lilith's corporeal estate, he gives her a hand with all the fiddly bits that will need to be dealt with.

Lilith sets a date, and arranges that, just of a sudden, every Free Lilim will be somewhere on Earth on that date. Maybe they'll have been on a job for the past few weeks, maybe they'll just be starting one, maybe they'll be a day or two to finish. Nothing like "Oh, that's funny, we've all been assigned to be out of here on X." Some number of them have been told not to mention their jobs. Others are under the impression it's just another routine Geas or mission (depending on if a Geas were invoked or an offer of a Song-teaching made).

And during a break in all of this, there is some frivoling. (Because humans are not celestials, and need breaks and a bit of frivolity now and then for proper emotional functioning, dontcha know.) Jean initiates it with a shoulder-rub and a suggestion that she take a break. Lilith glances up with a sly look, and bamfs. Jean follows, to where she soars on her dragon-wings, glowing with Corporeal Light above the night ocean, with a thunderstorm in the distance.

Now, they've played tag in thunderheads before. So her sudden course heading is not unusual. Her emotional state, however, is strange, and suggests that she'd rather be chased than caught. Even more strange is that, as they fly, first her clothes tatter away to nothing (the very atoms Freed) and then her shields -- those protections which Superiors and especially Princes tend to keep up -- go down, one by one. First the guards against mental attack, then those against physical harm. (Since they're a bit high up, those shields are rather necessary, and, rather fascinated, Jean replaces them.)

Up in the center of the thunderhead they zoom, and then, near the top, Lilith stops, wings flaring... And vanishes those wings. Then the Corporeal Light.

And falls.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
There are some things that can make even an Elohite Archangel go "GUH??" for a moment or two, and a Princess voluntarily putting her only instantiation into mortal peril is one of them. Insert a moment of gawping whilst that fine brain of his goes "SYNTAX ERROR: OVERRIDE LOGIC WITH FACTS? Y/N"  
   
   
   
   
   
   
Then he catches her, of course.  
   
   
   
   
Trust? A last minute test of his motives? A crazy way to make the evening _memorable_? All of the above? Who can tell what the motives are when the Princess herself isn't trying to sort it out? Fortunately, the Right Answer to all of those is the same.

And it does make -- after the adrenalin goes down enough to do more than hold, but not _too_ much -- a most memorable, ah, experience. On the wing.

Fade to black.

* * *

This prompted [this not entirely work-safe fic version](http://www.livejournal.com/users/archangelbeth/24995.html).

~~_...which I think I shall put into the next chapter. I suppose the worksafeness of it really depends on how vivid your imagination is?_~~

Actually, no, heck with it. That'd get my chapter numbering out of whack. Here. Have a vignette.

* * *

* * *

* * *

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

Sitting on the floor, back propped against part of the very large and very oak desk, was not entirely comfortable, nor an optimal typing position. However, the psychological effect upon the audience, when she happened to re-notice him, was appropriate.

Cognitive dissonance. Unexpectedness. Surprise. Novelty. No Prince -- save perhaps Andrealphus -- would sit upon the floor to do work in companionable silence, and Lust's "work" would rarely be intellectual. Harmlessness. He was comfortably below her more "superior" position in the chair. Exasperation because of the incongruity.

Of course, Lilith _liked_ being exasperated from time to time. Anything too easy was boring. Though, also of course, anything too hard was rarely worth her time. No one had ever accused the Princess of Freedom of not having a lazy streak from time to time.

She shifted back again, lounging in her executive's chair and not-looking at the computer terminal in front of her. Her surface emotions were only lightly shielded, and he could sense both the obvious -- that her mind was not on the task of moving her powerbase -- and a hint that her mind was turned to some other matter instead of just freewheeling from over-concentration.

He shifted a bit, attracting her attention. She frowned from the incongruity, and he allowed himself a moment's quiet satisfaction that she was not yet bored with this situation. The longer she remained affected, the less time he might have to perch cross-legged on the desk.

Her contemplation had deepened with his distraction, not eased, and she'd begun shielding her emotions more strongly. He vanished his computer-manifestation and got up to rub her shoulders. "Ready for a break?" he asked, needlessly on the one hand, but on a deeper level, as an acknowledgment of her emotions.

"Mmmmm." She seemed to come to some decision, the pattern of tensions in her shoulders read. She looked up with that quickly-familiar spark of mischief in her face, hummed an "Mm-hm," and vanished. 

Well, and no one had ever said that the Princess of Freedom didn't like to call the dance. He concentrated a moment, traced her, and Sang himself after.

The ocean was dark, and the stars very bright above, with only a half-moon to light the sky. Lightning illuminated their thunderclouds in the distance, with a pleasent tickling in his awareness. For a moment, he was in freefall, and then his gray-marked falcon's wings caught the air.

Ahead of him, speeding fast on her own emerald-scaled dragonwings, Lilith glowed. The Light-Song hinted, ironically, at the form of her Bright Daughters, but he would never mention _that_ to her. It also bespoke, most strongly, that she wanted to be chased. The Essence she was spending to aid her speed, however, suggested that she didn't want to be _caught_ , and hints of determination leaking past her shields confirmed that this was not an invitation to a game of tag. When her clothing scattered into nothing, it was confirmation.

Unexpectedly, her psychic shields folded down, like a comet's outgassing. Determination and an urge for perfection. Anxiousness, suppressed on some levels, acknowledged on others. Resolve. Anticipation.

_Hypothesis: there will never be another time when we can be less guarded, and so she wishes to consummate the attraction, in a manner that will be memorable and/or unique._ Considering her long history and association with the Prince of Lust, a "unique" encounter would be rare. The trust aspect was interesting, and he allocated some of himself to consider it...

Then her corporeal protections sloughed off, exposing her to the bitter cold and thin air. After a half-second of surprise, and another to see if she would resume the shields, he wrapped air and warmth around her himself. Relief and satisfaction rewarded him, but no mental contact.

They were at the thundercloud now, and she swooped into it, clearly relying on him to keep her safe from the Earthly manifestations of his Word. And, of course, he did. 

Up through the center they flew, with the Princess glowing like a star and... slowing. _Better to keep the distance than close it before she wishes,_ he thought. _Her aesthetic sense would complain less._ And so he slowed with her.

Not quite at the top, she paused and looked down, hovering in the air for a moment. Glowing, physically perfect, nude -- an image to inspire any number of ethereal pleasure-goddesses. Then her wings went up, limply, no longer beating the air, and she fell like a shooting star. Those wings vanished a moment later, leaving an afterimage. He saw her eyes were closed, her body relaxed, and then the Light Song winked out.

In her only body, nowhere else, the Princess fell as if she were mortal.

For a second that stretched to several subjective eternities, the implications nearly paralyzed him. Then he folded his own wings into a dive worthy of their shape.

He caught her easily, and pondered witty comments for a moment, but the way she clung to him tightly suggested unexpected emotional impact upon her, which his resonnce confirmed, and he merely held her against his body as he flew. The implications of trust, of testing trust, of a memorable interlude... He thought on them, and thought on her pride and backwards caring and grayness of Word and -- just a little -- on whether she was mishandled long ago or if it had all been Planned for. As always, Lilith raised more questions than answers.

When she had recovered a bit, he thought of asking her how long she'd have let herself fall, but her emotions were such a tangle, it seemed likely she would not be sure. So instead, he ducked his head and kissed her. As expected, she kissed back, and his own clothes were no match for the Freeing of molecules.

She never did re-manifest her wings to fly alone that night, which was an interesting datapoint in and of itself.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 


	10. Farewell and Defiance

_(Why, yes, that chapter title **is** a reference to Diane Duane's Lone Power...)_

* * *

In our last episode, there was a bit of midnight air-sporting, as well as a lot of planning.

The date of the Havoc has arrived. Of a sudden, the Guildhall is nigh-empty, save for minions and some stray demons or demonlings seeking shelter from other problems, and of course, the "recruiting" crowd.

Lilith, Jean, Eli, the Grigori, and a few other Important Names pick a spot in the Far Marches. (One of those Important Names is Kathriel, Angel of Sculpting.)

Then, standing out in the gray and shadowed sands of the Far Marches, Lilith decides to test this Third Avatar thing again.

Mentally, she sends a message...

> *Lucifer, Lightbringer... Beloved... I give back  
>  all that you have given me that was not mine by  
>  right, and in return I reclaim my Freedom.*

 

Naturally, the First Balseraph himself shows up shortly thereafter.

He says she can't mean this. She replies that she does.

He says she can't trust angels. She replies that that's her business.

He asks her to come back, his hand outstretched to her. She looks at him for a moment, remembering all that he ever was to her when she was younger and angry, sighs, and says, "No."

He tells her that she WILL return, WILL reconsider -- and vanishes.  
   
   
And now, in the gray sands of the Marches, there is a path between boulders of blueglass, with candles between them to light the way, leading up.

"Well," says Lilith, stabilizing the Tether of Freedom. "Let's see where it leads."

Where it leads is to a twilight celestial realm, stars faintly visible in the dark-purple sky. Before them, there is a city, with walls of blue glass and ledges and niches on those walls that each bear a candle forever glimmering.

Lilith names this "Babylon, City of Candles," and the realm, "Shangri-La."

It's her realm, she can do that.

Inside the walls, beyond the gate, can be seen winding streets, and every building has niches or ledges for candles, so that one could fly with stars above and below. There are ceiling-gardens, fountains, cobblestone-like streets... And a large steepled mansion in the middle, which Lilith dubs Liberty Hall.

The next thing to do is shuffle the landscape around a bit, so that there are two large, empty places within the walls. This is done and then...  
   
   
   
   
[Note: the following has a certain amount of concurrance.]  
   
   
Meanwhile, in Heaven, there is a great stir. It seems that Eli has returned to his Cathedral, and is calling all of his wayward Servitors home ASAP and Stat. Further, the entrances and exits to the Halls of Creation are being sealed somehow. Naturally, Dominic hurries over to demand that Eli come out and explain himself. Eli says that he can't talk, and dumps Kathriel at that window to stall.

Then, before Dominic can decide to attempt to breach the shields, one of Dominic's people comes running up. Apparently the Halls of Progress have closed up! There are a bunch of humans, relievers, and some Servitors of Lightning all out in front of them, and the Cathedral has a shield over _it_ as well. That, and that the people who are outside it are advising everyone to stand back and claiming they're not quite sure what's going on either.

Dominic realizes that there _is_ a little-recalled passageway between the Halls of Progress and Creation. He also realizes that Jean diverted him! He attempts to contact Jean, but that Archangel is rather too busy to reply.

And, with much gnashing of Seraphic teeth to accompany... the two Cathdrals vanish utterly from Heaven, leaving large holes where their basements were.

In Shangri-La, however, two Cathedrals _appear_ under that periwinkle sky, and settle into their new homes.

Time for phase 3.

While Jean and Eli were moving house -- literally -- Lilith was down in the Guildhall, clearing out the riffraff and setting up little devices within the building. About the time she senses a very puzzled Prince showing up in the street outside, they're ready -- and the Guildhall of Free Lilim is wrapped in nice technicolor, sparkley shields for a moment. Then it, too, is yanked from its foundations and leaves an unsightly gap as it vanishes from Hell.

The neon is rather tawdry, compared to all the candles, but it's got nostalgia value to it.

(For those who want a rough map, Liberty Hall is in the center of a somewhat oval city. There is a large square in front of it, with a fountain. Off to its left are the Halls of Progress. (It doesn't face directly onto the square, but there's a broadish street leading to it.) To its right, likewise, are the Halls of Creation. The Guildhall is about a block down, not-quite-towering over the intervening buildings, with its own soon-to-be-market-square in front of it. So as you enter the gates, there's Liberty Hall in front of you, Progress to your right, Creation to your left, and the Guildhall will be in front and slightly to the right. Here endeth the tour guide.)

While people are settling in -- and Lilith is rounding up her corporeal Daughters -- there is an invocation from the guards at the Tether top. Lilith (and Jean and Eli) bamf some instantiations over, in time to see Gabriel manifest full Wheel form in the sky and fazschoop around the walls of the city, then streak past them and down the Tether again. Since the place is still standing and there aren't a lot of melted candles in her wake, Jean comments, "Apparently she likes it."

(Yes, I changed a few details in the online version)

Lilith mutters darkly and goes back to dealing with things that aren't as ineffable as Gabriel's moods.

**To Be Continued...**

[Footnote 1: Hey, we almost got to Garg!]

[Footnote 2: no, that's not necessarily the canon bargain that she and Lucifer made. Or maybe it is. I'll never tell!]

_[Footnote 3:<http://www.oysterband.co.uk/lyrics/songs/Liberty_Hall.html>]_

___[Footnote 4: The "Babylon, City of Candles" is also a reference..._  
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Many_Miles_to_Babylon%3F>  
<http://setnet.tumblr.com/post/78092755921/how-many-miles-to-babylon-three-score-miles-and> (Another Diane Duane book has this quoted in it. Note "Only for what you Need.")  
<http://seananmcguire.com/aan.php> HELLO YES A BABYLON CANDLE THIS IS MY CATNIP. ] 


	11. Prophetic Comments Are Confusing

In our last episode, we actually advanced the plot to a state change. (Can't you just imagine running your PCs along, and then suddenly dumping _this_ on them?   
"Er, you know your Lightning contact, the NPC Bezek IV?"   
"Yeah..."   
"You've just gotten orders from your local Tether to try to get hold of her and arrest her. Bring her back to Heaven. But do NOT kill her vessel."  
"WHAT? WHY?"   
"Your local Tether isn't quite sure. Something about Jean going Outcast. And Eli. It's all very confused.")

_(This is, er, probably around the time the SSO-for-PCs was implicitly conceived.)_

In any case, Lilith is rounding up her scattered Daughters, whom she had previously sent out all over the place. Meanwhile, Jean and Eli are working on fortifying their Tethers -- and rigging a little "shunt" that Jean cooked up.

Meanwhile, Michael is slinking around a Jeanite Tether, fingering his axe and looking for Baalites doing roughly the same thing but with fewer Forces. Much fewer, when he catches up with them...

Mind, he's also well and truly peeved at the mass defection from Heaven, as well, and is vaguely contemplating tactical assaults on his sort-of-used-to-be fellow angels, if the demon supply wears out for too long.

And then Gabriel shows up, and hums at him vaguely. He growls, "Well?"

"You must not deliver the stars into Lucifer's hands," she says, somewhat urgently. "The sparks, they must not fly over the mountains to his hand. All will be ash, ash!"

"What?" says Michael, more peeved that his Seraph Resonance is returning, "Answer Ineffable, Try Again Later." 

"The stars, the sparks, the coal that blazes beneath the ash! You must not give them unto the darkness!"

" _What_ stars?" he demands, grumpily.

"They glimmer, they shine, they light the darkness. They must not burn to ash!"

"What ash? What do you MEAN?"

"You must not drive the sparks to the darkness! You must not let the Lightbringer take them in his hand! The stars, the stars!"

And FOOMP, Gabriel vanishs off, leaving Michael yarging behind her in frustration.

 

[to be continued, due to toddler wiggling...]  
 _(Oh stars, the toddler of this post is a **teenager** now!)_


	12. The Rules, Shunts, and Nightmares Attacks

(The order of things is a little iffy, darn it. It's been a few years. Cope. O:> )

Things are being consolidated. People are settling in. The Rules are being read.

The Rules.

Essentially, the Rules state, "Thou Shalt Not Attempt To Impose Thy Will Upon Another Or To Abuse This Privilege In Clever But Annoying Rules. Thou Shalt Not Betray Shangri-La. No Brain-breaking Without Permission." Brain-breaking is the slang for "recruiting." Demons can't use Will-based resonances (or invoke hooks) without permission. Angels don't Smite demons, and neither side tries to use psychology to make the other side redeem/Fall.

No one _has_ to swear to the Rules. Anyone who wishes may refuse to do so, and will be escorted gently to the nearest Tether. If someone has tactical information, Memory Pearls (see **_Liber Reliquarum_** ) can be used to remove the troublesome data from that being's mind.

Lilith rationalizes this by means of, "It's my realm, and if people don't want to be here, they can leave. I require people to wipe their feet before they track mud all over my floors, too. They can always track mud on their own floors." 

So, once someone has sworn to the Rules, how to tell? Well, with all these Lilim around, it's clear -- the Geas. A year-Geas, to the Rules. Lilith and the others craft some relics which will imprint themselves upon a Geas celestially, and make decorative designs to indicate that's the Rules-Geas.

At the Marches' endpoint of the Tether to Shangri-La, an ethereal fortification is being crafted. (With a replica of the statue Kathriel left in Hell after rescuing Urilebana nearby on one hand, and a replica of Lilith refusing Lucifer on the other...) This is a good thing, since demons of Nightmares are skulking around. Meanwhile, some Baalites are trying to go up Shangri-La Tethers -- which does not turn out so well once Jean has installed shunts and loops. Unidentified demons are kept in a holding pattern, then -- if Baalite -- shunted off to the path up Gabriel's mountain.

This causes a bunch of Fire Servitors to hang out there, of course.

There is some discussion about whether this realm links to Heaven or Hell in ways that could be found. And so Lilith, with help from Kathriel and Jean, raises "fractal mountains" that are basically impassibly confusing for quite some time, with the laws of the realm causing dangerous winds and currents that prohibit flying above them.

Mind, a Nightmares assault shows up relatively soon, and is driven back -- Lighting Servitors, though not Marches-savvy necessarily, are very high on Ethereal Forces, and Kathriel is doing _very_ well there, since the Word of Sculpting basically has a field day in the Marches. Creationers are pretty creative, too. There are fractal labyrinths, walls, pits, and other entertainments for "tourist" Nightmares Servitors.

Then Beleth shows up in person. And while people are scrambling to invoke Bosses, Kathriel actually manages -- again -- to hold off a Prince(ss) of Hell. It's not for long, but it's long enough for Archangels (and Lilith) to show up and fortify the shields.

(I like the Divine Intervention version the online game got.)

There is a bit of discussion about whether or not they should try calling for reinforcements -- would Michael _really_ pass up the chance to pound on Beleth? What would he charge to show up in a timely fashion? -- when Gabriel flashes into existence and essentially sends Beleth packing. (Beleth not wanting to hang around and try to get into a fight with one crazy Archangel when there are others around, and Belial'd never let her live it down if she called _him_ over.)

Great, thinks Lilith. More meddling from Fire. She stomps back up the Tether to sulk and do more administration work. Some of that work is finding Daughters who have hooks into Renegade demons who might be recruitment potential _and_ are combat knowledgeable.

One of these is General Garg, Djinn of the War who -- apparently -- defected rather than order HIS troops into certain doom as his hostile superior officer had ordered. 

 

[And now it's time for dinner. At least I _mentioned_ Garg!]


	13. General Garg and the Guard

In our last installment, Lilith had just stomped back to her celestial office to sulk and do more administrative work.

_Some of that work is finding Daughters who have hooks into Renegade demons who might be recruitment potential **and** are combat knowledgeable._

Because, frankly, Lightning's great for R&D, but she'd feel a little better with someone around who's got a military mind. That, and Lightning's also overworked. There's the Grig -- but they're rather keeping to their own area of Shangri-La -- and there's Creation, but Creation's mob is, er, not very warlike in the plurality.

_One of these is General Garg, Djinn of the War who -- apparently -- defected rather than order HIS troops into certain doom as his hostile superior officer had ordered._

Geas-trails are followed (someone owes a favor to someone who owes a favor, etc, etc, etc -- there is a program that does this, on Lilith's computers. Plug in the name of a target, and it gets you all the links till you arrive at someone you have a hold on. Sort of like how the Mac's Find File pops up a list of the hard drive down through the folders to the file you wanted.). Roles and roles are discerned. Other demons are caught up in the sweep.

Lilith drops by the warehouse Garg's little Role is Security Guard for, and has a chat. She wants him to come and work for her. (He's the highest ranking ex-Baalite her files have data on, see.) She offers him command, rank, asks what he wants.

He wants... troops. Not to be micromanaged.

"I give you orders, you figure out how? I consult you first?"

"Good 'nuff," the Djinn grunts.

And so the deal is sealed. Garg gets another Force or two, and is the commander of the Guard. (Well, he gets called "General" a lot...) He also gets a Knight Errant Distinction from Lilith, because, well, it's good to keep your key people happy.

Now, Garg needs people for his Guard. He's got a small core of demons, sure, but they're not enough. So this fact is mentioned around, and indeed, some angels volunteer.

[WOAH, we've actually got SPOILERS here! Minor ones, though.]

This includes a Malakite of Lightning, who is perhaps not so flexible as he thought, but who believes that he is needed there; an Elohite of Lightning who quickly becomes the storesmaster; and Talitha-kumi (IIRC her full name), Mercurian of Creation who honestly acts like she ought to have been a blackwing instead, and whom people mutter is a candidate for the Word of Dancing On The Edge.

Talitha strides into the place, and is put into the 'orientation' care of one of the likely-to-be-promoted-when-the-shakeout-is-done Guard-demons. This is a Habbalite named Ethanim. Talitha does rather a lot of "This place needs to be more integrated! You've got factions brewing here! The relationships need more work!"

The annoying thing is, A: she's right, and B: she's got a Precision high enough to have supported her habit of going around and teaching demons that fluffwings of Creation are dangerous too. Mmm, knives.

Ethanim and Talitha quickly become an Item, in that kind of twitchy way that Habbalah get when they do relationships. (Ethanim is quite deluded that he's an angel. He likes having an angel girlfriend. A strong one. He also paints her wings with Hellglyphs for various things -- including something that probably translates humorously as, "She's with the Punisher; don't mess.")

This is the inspiration for this bit of art: <http://www.prismnet.com/~arcangel/Art/Halfway.html>.

(Eventually, Talitha and Ethanim will become Garg's Lieutenants -- and tend to compete against each other when the Guard does wargames, especially in the mountains.)

Another couple of characters who will join the Guard are Jade and Celia. But Jade doesn't exist yet, and Celia's not in Shangri-la. But that's a good reminder for me to end on.


	14. Jade, Lilim of the Guard

In our last installment, we went through the formation of the Guard, and I left the reminder...

_> Another couple of characters who will join the Guard are Jade and  
>Celia. But Jade doesn't exist yet, and Celia's not in Shangri-la._

Let's see, Jade or Celia, Celia or Jade... Which came first? Hm. Can't remember. Let's do Jade first.

For some reasons which I've somewhat forgotten -- I think it had to do with the fact that Lightning had a Heavenborn and Creation had none, plus Kath's impressive defensive abilities, plus wanting a few Forces for Lilim-crafting -- Lilith offered to make a Lilim with a Creation slant. (And/or Kath may have mentioned the idea as amusing to her -- Kath was created as a reliever (as I may have mentioned) by Eli and **Veruthea,** the Angel of Comfortable Stylish Clothing, a Bright ex Kobalite.)

It wound up that Kath, and a half-dozen of her friends, donated the majority of the Forces, and what emerged was... Jade. Jade is still green, and horned, and a bit on the agressive side. (One of the "downsides" of Shangri-La, from the angelic point of view, is that even the very redeemable demons don't have any sort of pressure to take that final step -- it's not like the Game is going to be any _more_ after them, or any _less_...) There's a reasonable chance she'll get around to it, but right now she's being too much of a "rebel" in some ways.

Jade winds up working with the Guard, pretty quickly. She also winds up with a severe case of competitiveness with her slightly elder sister, Bright Blade of the Moon.

But since the toddler just woke up, I'll save that encounter -- and Celia -- for another time.

 

* * *

* * *


	15. Celia, Free Lilim being recruited...

_> But since the toddler just woke up, I'll save that encounter -- and Celia --  
>for another time._

Yes, yes, it's been a while. I've been doing some Betharan fanfic on the IN mailing list.

I could be persuaded to collect what's been done and put it here, too.

Anyway, where were we? Oh yes, Celia.

 

Through various and sundry means, involving a "strange call from a sister," reported by one of the Shangri-La Lilim, Lilith catches wind of an amusing little plot -- presumably by Gamesters -- to reel in Renegades galore.

The Gamester plot went thusly:

* Find and catch **a** Lilim.  
* Convince Lilim that you will not actually kill her (or will stop hurting her, or whatever) if she helps you. Will Shackles help.  
* Get her to locate, and/or lure in, demons she has hooks in.  
* Get her to locate, and/or lure in, her sisters.  
* With new Lilim, go to step 2 there and repeat until Prince's arrival, at which point, you turn over all your prisoners. Try to retain a Lilim or two to keep this cycle going.  
* Rinse, repeat.

The reason such an amusing plot had been hatched now pertains to the fact that, basically, all Lilim can be considered Renegade until proven loyal now...

Lilith decides to A: put a stop to this little, well, game, and B: to do it personally. (In case, say, Azzie shows up. She'd hate to lose anyone to a Prince deciding to drop by.)

She invites her boyfriend along **(this, in case anyone has any doubt, would be the Grand High Sparky himself)** ; he accepts the invitation, since he's still busy humoring Lilith and it could be interesting. They pose as a Lilim and her human servant. (They also have a couple instantiations elsewhere, so they can exchange pithy comments, if need be.)

They respond to the call, from one Celia -- a Free who frequently did Lust work, and who had not yet been pulled back into the fold, so to speak. She "lures" her "sister and her servant" in to where the Gamesters are. There are Will Shackles. The two Superiors incognito make their acting rolls. ("Oh, woe, we are trapped. Oh, eek, a Will Shackle. Oh no, what shall we do.")

The Asmodean in charge of this is a Habbalite with more Will Shackles than Gamesters should have. He has Celia, and a half-dozen other demons, all of whom are pretty cowed by now. We are talking Habbalite here... He amuses himself with the "new Lilim prisoner," some knives, and Will Shackle induced "dissonance." It is not pleasant, and it is a good thing that Superiors can (at least presumably) "turn down" the receptors on their vessels.

After a bit, the Habbalite decides to torment the "new Lilim" psychologically, by doing nasty things to her "human servant." That, and he's actually been kicking up enough of a row, for a human, to require some of the Asmodean muscle-backup demons to deal with. (This, as it happens, means that they're mostly grouped in one location.) So, time for a Punishing Session in the dungeon, to demonstrate to the captives what happens to difficult prisoners.

The Habbalite is, er, inspired to use the cattleprod and some other devices that plug into the wall socket. (Elsewhere: "Why are you twitching your eyebrow like that?" "It tickles.")

Lilith, ignored by the Gamesters as a 'broken Lilim,' revives, pops her Will Shackle off, and goes around the room -- quietly getting the Will Shackles off of the prisoners. (Move Silently gets so many CD bonuses for Superiors, no?) They also owe her, but hey. Then she takes the collected Will Shackles and picks off some of the straggler Gamesters, whom she can come up behind and click the things onto, and tell them "No noise, no calling Superiors."

**(Yes, she can most definitely justify this as them owing her for what they've been doing to her Daughters, and her. Sometimes it's good to be the human Princess.)**

Some more are captured when the Infernal Device the Habbalite has... well, kind of explodes, with a shower of sparks. Very distracting, that. The Habbalite is even less happy when the "human" sits up, despite restraints, and then bounces his Habbalite resonance. His unhappiness is basically complete when, while he's distracted by figuring out that this the blessed Archangel of blessed Lightning, Lilith snaps a Will Shackle around his neck.

[As an aside: rumors of Superiors 'frolicing' like this should make your PCs worried if their plans to capture NPCs are going too smoothly.]

The Gamesters are hauled up for proper questioning, their Hearts shattered (one of Lilith's tricks; it severs the bond). The prisoners are hauled up to be shown the rules and given a chance to join up.

Celia, who now owes Mother bigtime for bailing her out of this mess, is presented to a Seraph of Creation to determine if she has any aptitudes besides filling out tight sweaters and short skirts. It turns out that she is, well, Precision-heavy. Lilith dumps her with the Guard, and Talitha (see the 13th installment) takes her under her wing. (Eli also shows up somewhere in here, and fixes Celia's vessel -- she's now small, mildly Asian, and lithe.) Celia gripes and grumbles and is finally handed a rifle and pointed at a target on the range.

Celia is a blessed good shot.

This is, eventually, pointed out to her -- after Garg sets up a competition with some (less talented) guards, to drive the point home that she really is good, even though they've been harassing her to get better -- and she starts training in earnest.

For her "graduation," she gets to hunt the Gamester Habbie through a chunk of the city. He has weapons, she has her sniper rifle.

We will just say that she takes out a lot of her pent-up hostilities on the Punisher, who quite deserved it.

Celia also gets grabbed for fighter pilot simulations with Lightning, which enables her to go around in flight-suits.

And now the toddler awakens again.


	16. Celia and the NSFW Flight Simulator

Let's see how far I get with the toddler awake and running around, and strange music playing.

_(Edit: The toddler in question is now a teenager as I write this edit.)_

Celia... Ah, yes, there's a bit more to her. Celia is doing training with Lightning. A fair amount of it is a flight simulator.

Celia and one of her fellow Lilim (who never really got a name) get the bright idea that the flight simulator could be made into a game (1 Essence for X tries) and installed into the Guildhall. (Since at this point, most of the sisters are just hanging around and loafing...)

She and her buddy get the bright idea of making it a bit spicier. Put on the headset. Every hit you take, you get a mild jolt. Every hit you make, you get a... nice jolt. (We won't discuss this in detail; Yahoogroups has this thing that if you get rated-R, you have to make the group "over 18 only." Don't ask what I'm going to do when we get to the Andre part of the story. O:/ )

Thing is, neither of them have quite the tech skills to do the modifications, and they can't convince any Sparkies (slang for Lightning Servitors, established _pre_ Girl Genius...) to help. So they went looking in Creation.

They found a blackwing, who'd worked with Lightning previously. One who'd been hiding out in the depths of the Halls of Creation, since he's one of the Creationers who wanted to be with Eli more than he hated the idea of being around unsmitable demons -- but it made him think about it a moment...

Nevertheless, they persuade him to give them a hand. Unofficial promises are promised. Eyes are batted. A Malakite decides to find a clever way to get back at Lilim.

The Sensory Enhanced Surround Sound fighter-pilot simulation is, finally, crafted.

Now they have to try it out.

It's very, er, sensory.

The Malakite... drat, fuzzy memory. Either invokes Geas, or at least Lilim pride to have them both run through the scenario with the sensory zaps turned up to the max. However, he himself gets... shamed, I think it was, into promising to do it himself if they can make it through.

He shouldn't have underestimated the willpower of demons, and pride of Lilim. He gets stuck doing it too. The three part on fairly bad terms, but at least no one's dead. Just PO'ed.

Now, from a fairly objective point of view, it was a great triumph of The Rules. No one killed anyone, and all unpleasantness was at least semi-consenting.

However, Kathriel, Malakite Angel of Sculpting -- who has been making a big thing about being practically "one of the girls" since her mother is a (Bright) Lilim -- gets wind of the matter. And she doesn't think it's a satisfactory thing at all. Terms like "Dishonor" and "bad press" and "giving Creation a bad name" and "if they're scared of us, how are we going to convince them to redeem??" float through her brain. 

They float through the confrontation, too, as her Choirmate is not terribly repentant over this "diplomatic incident."

And I will do the rest some other time, since the spouse has come home, it's time for dinner, and I'm doing this one on the website and not in my private email where I can save the draft.

\--Beth


	17. Kathriel Gets Pushy, Deborah is Mentioned

Let's see how far I get with the toddler awake....

_(Edit: Again, the "toddler" is now a teen. How time flies...)_

At 1:51 AM +0000 11/23/02, archangelbeth wrote:  
_> However, Kathriel doesn't think it's a satisfactory thing at all. Terms_  
_> like "Dishonor" and "bad press" and "giving Creation a bad name"_  
_> and "if they're scared of us, how are we going to convince them_  
_> to redeem??" float through her brain._  
_>_  
_> They float through the confrontation, too, as her Choirmate is_  
_> not terribly repentant over this "diplomatic incident."_

____

Eventually, Kath manages to persuade him that _something_ must be done to repair species relations. "Play along," she exhorts him, as she leads him along in front of the Guildhall on a leash. "Apologize nicely," she attempts.

A mere apology doesn't work out all that well, and Kath browbeats her Choirmate into sacrificing a bit of dignity in the interests of Good Relations.

Essentially, each of the Lilim wronged gets to pluck a feather. In public.

Celia takes hers personally. The other one sells her feather to Deborah, famed author of smut! (The Creationers all are quite entertained by her. For more about Deborah, consult...  
<http://www.sjgames.com/in-nomine/articles/seeds/stranger.html>  
<http://web.archive.org/web/20080907203618/http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~maya/nomine/tardeb1.html>  
<http://web.archive.org/web/20080723144020/http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~maya/nomine/tardeb2.html>  
<http://web.archive.org/web/20080725091519/http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~maya/nomine/tardeb3.html> )

The blackwing is grumpy, the Lilim are happy, species relations seem to have been restored -- or at least the Lilim seem to think that Kathriel is nicer than most...


	18. The "Nuns"; Angela; and the Avatar of Free Will

Okay, in the last bit, I finished up on the little plotline that demonstrates Kathriel is working hard at being perceived as, if not "one of the girls" to the Lilim, at least "one of the family."

(We did mention that Kathriel is the Force-child of Eli and **Veruthea,** the Bright Lilim Angel of Comfortable Stylish Clothing, right? I'm sure we did.)

Meanwhile, Lilith is doing her part for the work-shortage around the place, sort of. See, the Lilim are all hiding out in the Guildhall, mostly, loafing around because it has suddenly become not worth Lilith's time to collect rent for the Guildhall. (The fact that the whole _realm_ is hers, so she can always sling an arm around someone's shoulder and point out what a nice person she is for letting them stay there rent-free... Well, that probably figures in somewhere.)

The Lilim are pretty much waiting for some daft sister to take the plunge and get a job with one of the two Words who're around (that would be Lightning and Creation -- while Song is around, the Grig are keeping to themselves a lot).

Well, Lilith gets a collection of Lightning Forces, and a few other ones she has lying around, and creates... 6 Lilim, who quickly become known as "the Nuns." They're very intellectual (duh), and very cooperative amongst themselves, and the rest of their sisters just DON'T understand them.

Still, they have almost no innate fear of angels, and the angels aren't smiting them, so it's useful.

_(Edit: They start hanging around Jediael's Library pretty quickly, in SSO.)_

Then, curious to know if she can create a Bright (because, hey, you gotta know what you can do, right?), Lilith gets a Force from Lightning and incorporates it within herself so it can pick up the "lilim nature" effect. Then she goes and gets 8 fresh Forces from Creation, zips quickly back to Liberty Hall, and takes as much angel-chocolate (diluted) as she can manage without spacing out entirely.

What she gets... is Angela. Angela is quickly revealed to be a really WEIRD Lilim. Her celestial form is mutable. She can be a winged Bright, or a green, horned dark sister, or anything in between -- and she is frequently between, with horns and wings at the same time, or wings and green, or all of the above, or whatever.

She's one of a kind, typically hanging out around Creation but not bound to the Word. No one's quite sure if she's just of mutable form, or if she's actually spontaneously Falling and redeeming at will, depending on who she's around.

Lilith swears off making Lilim while _that_ drugged.

_(Edit: And swears off making Lilim with 'the fuzzy, blue-green Forces,' which is what she swears Eli gave her. Fresh Creation, all right -- freshly pulled out from under his bed! Hmph.)_

 

Also in here, a Lilim turns up who is, basically, in the "I wanna redeem!" state. Her human boyfriend went to Heaven, and she misses him. Who does she want to do the redemption? "Um, Mother, could you...?"

"Could I what?"

"Help me get wings?"

"..."

"Please?"

"...!"

"I'll owe you."

"!!!"

"Please?"

"Let me think about it."

(Elsewhere: "JEAN! This kid wants ME to do a redemption! I can't do redemptions -- I'm not an Archangel!"

"True. But you are an Avatar--"

"(Drivel.)"

"--and in any case, Lilim appear to be able to self-redeem. You probably would only need to do 'spotting' and help her hold her Forces together during the process."

"You're kidding me. Why don't you do it?"

"She didn't ask me."

"You WILL be around to take over, RIGHT?"

"Of course.")

"..... Okay, I've thought about it. Fine. We'll try it."

And that's why Trade got in a "spy" blessed soul, and has a Bright Lilim (who kept her horns, in silver, because her boyfriend knew what she was and liked the horns) in service to him. So that's the Trade Embassy staff in Shangri-La.

 

Let's see... Next, I need to do Mnason, I think. Mnason and Emma...


	19. Mnason, the Angel of Discovery

_At 8:37 PM -0500 1/2/03, Elizabeth McCoy wrote:  
>Let's see... Next, I need to do Mnason, I think. Mnason and Emma..._

Mmmm, yes.

So. Lilith feels the need for an official internal security force -- the "police" to Garg's "military," essentially. With a bit of "spymaster" thrown into the pot. (This is partly inspired by the bit with Celia and her sister and their not-so-friendly encounter with one of the Creation Virtues. While some of Jean's people are wandering around to make sure the Rules aren't being battered, there're no _official_ cops around.)

She wants someone to hold a suitable Word (after some hashing out of this, the Word chosen is Discovery), for elevation to Superior in the relatively near future, as Superiors measure such things.

She wants someone _utterly_ reliable. Someone unlikely to change state and run off to Heaven (or Hell) under stress.

She wants... a blackwing.

A Malakite, flexible enough to work with her and keep the peace without bloodshed. But unlikely to suffer from annoying state changes.

So she gets Jean and Eli to ship over a group of possible candidates, gathers them together ("You're wondering why I've called you here today... No, it's not just to admire your pretty wings."), and explains the situation. Then she turns them loose to discuss amongst themselves which of them they think would be up to the job.

Now, most of them are Creationers who took service with the more militant Archangels during Eli's walkabout. One is from Jean's Intelligence Analysis department. That one essentially draws short straw and goes back to ask a few more details. Like, do they get to resonate her _ahead_ of time, to see if they can cope? (Well, actually, the others are hoping that _he'll_ resonate her and they won't have to...) And she lets him. [And the dice are amusing and give CD 6!]

He... thinks he can take the job (with the others as assistants). He also swears an oath (which wasn't _quite_ what Lilith had _meant_ when she said she needed reliability and loyalty, but she doesn't correct him) to protect the best interests of Shangri-La and its inhabitants.

And next I will discuss Word-binding and Emma, but not yet, 'cause the toddler is cranky.

* * *

_In the comments to the cityofcandles LJ post, Sariel asks: Hmmmm. I don't remember any of the PCs hearing about Celia et al; did they happen in game-continuity and just get glossed because no PCs were around to see, or did game!Lilith have other reasons for setting up Discovery?_

_I reply: I think I sorted things around in my head for more PC-based Dramatic Effect, and Celia hasn't happened yet. Quite yet._


	20. Mnason, Emma, and Eureka

_lj-cut text="I shouldn't type these while fatigued, because I get silly"_

_At 7:08 PM -0500 1/4/03, Elizabeth McCoy wrote:_  
Mnason...  
>And next I will discuss Word-binding and Emma, but not yet, 'cause the toddler is cranky. 

Let's see how much I can manage before bedtime...

Mnason agrees that he will take the job, and swears the oath, but wants to have a little time to think on things before the Word-binding. That and tell his buddies back in the bar (where else are a bunch of Malakim going to discuss who wants to work directly for an ex-Princess?) that he's taking the bullet for them.

Not in those words, mind, but roughly.

Lilith sends one of her more competent Daughters to keep an eye on him, see how he's doing, see what he does. That Daughter is Emma, who has done rather a few long-term contracts to Theft.

Mnason -- who is no slouch himself, and was on a Word-bound track in Lightning -- manages to spot her, and lay an ambush of sorts. Instead of this causing friction, they get on quite well. 

_Quite_ well. 

_EXCEEDINGLY_ well.

(She talks him into some Dubious Activities as a draw for some of her sisters, too, in order to get them owing her favors, which Emma will deed over to him (or at least some percentage of them). Mnason, created by a ruthless 'do what is necessary' Superior, thinks this reasonable enough, provided the Daughter in question is not too revoltingly dishonorable.)

Despite their little scam, they continue to get on well enough that at one point Emma says, "I like you. Let's get married." Mnason asks, "When?" She says, "When you're Word-bound. But I'm saving the wings for when you get the _BIG_ wings."

It is rather shortly thereafter that, indeed, Lilith leans on him. "You're doing the job, now you need the Word, kid."

And so, he becomes Angel of Discovery.

And indeed, Emma is true to her word. With her best leather jeans and jacket (hey, she did a _lot_ of Theft-type contracts), and his nicest jumpsuit (Lightning standard issue, dontcha know), they head over to the Halls of Creation. (I forget whose idea this was...)

The upshot is that Eli does the "honors" ("You want to be married? And you're asking me? *pause* Okay, you're married. PARTY TIME!"), and in the midst of a most entertaining party... Mnason Discovers the trick to Force-binding. (This is probably being aided by Eli hanging around; it's not clear if he could manage it by himself.)

This is why there's a single green reliever, named Eureka, running around the place, spying on everyone and going back to report to Mom and Dad.

(Eli replaced the Forces invested in little Eureka, natch. He's big on creation and all, dontcha know.)

Eureka is likely to fledge Kyriotate eventually. (Maybe a green one, who knows?) It's more into the 'wanna be EVERYWHERE an' see EVERYTHING' mode than hyper Ofanite mode, and doesn't seem to be serious enough to want to be a blackwing, despite leanings that way. But in the meantime, it'll be a little green spymaster (aka ringleader?), tapping into the reliever "guess what I saw!" gossip network...

And freaking everyone who's used to the _gold_ flocks of relievers fluttering around, being helpful, and sneaking into rooms to tidy them up or explore. (Lilith keeps having to pitch them out of her quarters, especially the bathroom. "You, kid, what are you doing with my soap! It's not a sled! Out! Out!")


	21. Flashbacks and Digressions

Diversions and digressions.

* * *

A flashback, I neglected to mention. After Jean mentioned his little theory about Avatars and Third Avatars and that Raphael had actually mentioned something about it before her death, Lilith went looking for any details. First, she found the initial discussion about Avatars, and that Yves, apparently, was one (of all angels, Raphael would come out and _ask_ ), and Rafe's suspicions about Kronos, and that she believed that she had some evidence that would lead to the identity of the Third Avatar. Alas, when Lilith went looking for the sequel, the Library only led her to a list of those soul-killed in the Legion battle.

* * *

* * *

A digression.

Tiana ("Tia") -- last encountered in the Sixth Installment (digression) -- is a Lilim rather obsessed by cooking. She also had a minor flirtation going with a Mercurian at a local Trade Tether. (Neither one was quite sure what the other was, till Jean and Lilith started sending each other little tokens of affection via Trade Express.) (Come to think of it, that's worth another digression. Later.)

Anyhow, Tia found her way into the kitchens of Creation, where she proceeded to make quite a stir.

She also started up a relation with a scruffy Mercurian, whose wings have paint spatters, whom she nicknamed Hey-You-iel.

Anyone with a clue, mind, knows who Heyyouiel really is. Eventually, word will get around to be careful about Just This (Fluffwing) Guy. But not yet.

* * *

* * *

Another flashback I apparently forgot, drat it.

When Lilith yanked up the Guildhall, it was cleared of stray demons -- mostly. Demonlings got dumped into special training with Lightning, to see if they could be trained to be civilized. And then there was a little Balseraph.

A rather pathetic, 7-Force Balseraph. Who asks for sanctuary. (He'd been hiding from his nominal boss, a Calabite, who was upset with him...)

Remember the Third Installment? Where Kath was handed a Habbalite fresh from Limbo and told to civilize it? (And keep it from self-punishing itself by sitting in Lilith's rosebushes, which was not good for the roses.) Well, that little project worked fairly well, so guess who Lilith thinks of when she finds a Balseraph who wants to join up?

After all, if Shangri-La is going to be open to anyone who agrees to swear by the rules, there are going to need to be some role-models. And everyone knows Balseraphs and Malakim just DON'T get along, right?

Kathriel is presented with a very terrified Serpent, with orders to civilize it _without_ turning it into a Seraph.

This... is a somewhat rocky road, but after wearing him as a belt for some time, the little Balseraph finally seems to realize that no, Kath is not going to eat him even if she is a scary blackwing. He just has to behave right. If he behaves right, he's safe. Really.

The Bal's name appears to be "Eats Pizza Too Fast (And Burps Afterwards)" -- which everyone seems to agree is a terrible name. After a while, he gets nicknamed "Phantom of the Kitchen," which gets shortened most of the time to "Phantom" and seems to stick well enough.

Phantom -- semi-serving Gluttony -- tends to eat lots and lots of cookies. Particularly Tia's cookies. Kath eventually sculpts an illustrative example of Phantom as a pudgy sausage with wings, which somewhat curbs his appetite. _(And means there are more (read: any) cookies for everyone else, rather than Phantom selfishly stuffing himself with all of them, because we all know that the celestial realm doesn't actually work that way (and logically, Kathriel wouldn't really care about appearances one way or another) -- but poking a Balseraph in the vanity gives faster results than trying to convince the Balseraph that the answer isn't "Well, she should bake MORE cookies, then! (which I will also eat if I can stuff myself with them before anyone else gets there.)" Phantom's adorable, but he is still a Balseraph and learning enlightened self-interest is hard when you're Hellborn.)_

_(If you want to be truthful about it, poking Seraphim in the vanity can also have fast results. Only they call it "dignity.")_

And, surrounded by Seraphim, Phantom can hardly use his resonance to impose belief in anything that isn't Seraphically true. This sort of auto-feedback ensures that he doesn't much _want_ to say anything that's not true, which leads him to write True Things on his wings, in paint.

He also gets give a harp, and a smidge of skill, by Eli during a party, and starts taking lessons with a Seraph "Harpmaster."

He doesn't get involved in the more "adult" bits of parties -- when he was a pizza-delivery Bal in Shal-Mari, he was rather traumatized by what Lust Servitors would sometimes do when he delivered to them.

So a wing-painted, harp-playing, cookie-savoring "Phantom of the Kitchens" is running around, and sometimes talking to the demonlings, to make them BELIEVE what's TRUE.

* * *


	22. The Shunt and an Impudite of Lightning

(Additions in **bold**. Or lots of italics. Or whatever.)

Ah, right, the shunt. As noted in the 12th Installment, a non-authorized demon attempting to ascend a Lightning (or Creation, probably) Tether tends to get trapped in a "shunt" somewhat like a Force Catcher. This is needed because their Tethers are no longer protected by the Light of Heaven. If the captive demon(s) is/are not wanted, they get dumped on the sides of Gabriel's Mountain where all the teenage punk Malakim (and others) hang out these days.

Or maybe they get interrogated first.

In an attempt to see if there's a size-thing going, Baal snags up a rather cowardly imp (good Running skill, see), tacks on a Force or two (total 7) and shoves it up a Tether, essentially. (Well, they stage a raid and slip him in under cover of the raid and send him up.)

He gets caught and interrogated and when they get to the routine, "Do you wish sanctuary here, swearing to abide by the Rules?" question, the little new-Fledged Impudite says, "YES! SURE! ANYTHING! JUST DON'T KILL ME PLEASE!" He is the first to do this, since previous spies were of the hard-core Baalite mold...

It further happens that Lilith herself, bored, has just poked her head in, and hears this. She insists -- somewhat to the grumpiment of the Virtue of the group, who vastly prefers to either have demons redeem or be smote -- that he have the Rules read to him (even if he's not listening very hard) and swear to them.

This does, however, leave her with a terrorized Impudite somewhat attached to her.

Taking some amount of pity on the babbling demon swearing eternal fealty and gratitude, she doesn't shake him off and tell him to find something to do elsewhere. Instead, she asks him what he _wants_ to do.

Well, he _doesn't_ want to be part of the Guard, and he's not really competent to help Mnason in any way, and he's not bright enough to be put to work somewhere in Liberty Hall, and he's not brave enough to try to sign on with Creation or the Grigori...

So she asks Jean what _he_ thinks the little thing might be good for, besides a footstool.

This winds up with Jean offering the little thing a job. Which he accepts, in a terror that not accepting will be bad for his health, but slightly lured by the promise of "the only Impudite in service, possessed of useful abilities and trained for useful -- non-combat intensive -- skills."

Now, the Impudite can't get a Heart -- at least, not from an Archangel -- but Jean can try to attune him to his Word.

In our **(the SSO, not canon... yet, or perhaps ever, quite)** setting, an Archangel can try to influence what the Word-Choir (or, as in this case, Word-Band) interaction will be, though there is a somewhat limited range. There are a few things which might be possible, such as things akin to Belial's Impudite Band Attunement, which would be less than useful. What would be useful is the ability for the Impudite to suck Essence from electricity, much like the Lightning Rite, only moreso.

> **Impudite of Lightning**  
>  May convert electricity into Essence, at a rate roughly equivalent to the Rite -- wall-current is slower than a powerline main. This requires no rolls, but there is 1 note of disturbance per Essence gained.  
> 

(Yes, that means that if he's on a power-grid node, the disturbance is going BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM, and if he's just plugged into the wall, there's a gradual *ping*.....*ping*.....*ping*.)

This has definite potential, so he's sent off with an Elohite handler to get training in the Songs of Healing, and other basic medic care. As well as some encouragements to get a bit more of a backbone so he doesn't cringe all over the place.

Eventually, he and Phantom are introduced; they don't hit it off _that_ well, but they recognize the value of being cooperative when they're in a distinct minority, and agree that Here is better than Hell. The Lightning Impudite also manages to get brave enough to visit a Creationer party, which gets him access to snappy clothes and artists who do nice wing-painting, and that helps his self-image quite a bit.


	23. Catering the Seraphim Council

Now, things are settling down a bit, and Jean decides that the Seraphim Council will be getting over their initial shock, outrage, and uproar, and -- instead of getting unplanned, shocky attacks, Shangri-La might have to face some carefully reasoned, well-thought-out campaigns.

Time to shake up the Council s'more.

However, he mentions this to Lilith, first, that he's planning on going to talk to the Council.

Lilith says, "You're crazy! They'll try to grab you and drag you back to Heaven!" *pause* "You're _NOT_ going alone."

This pleases and gratifies him, as he had _not_ placed a high weighting on her offering (insisting) on providing backup for him. They arrange a meeting (via Marc), on Iowa Cornfield Barn territory (since the only person likely to have a great advantage in the middle of a renovated barn is Novalis). There is a certain amount of griping. (Not everyone shows up, either.) There is rather a lot of distrust for Jean's lack of delusion -- perhaps this is all some plan of the Lightbringer's!

Lilith finally throws down the gauntlet. They want to ask questions and whatnot, have a meeting, see Shangri-La? FINE. Come back in a couple months, and she'll open a doorway to a (properly secured) facility that will house the whole blessed Council. _Catered._

Of course, they have to promise to behave themselves -- or at least say so. (The hazards of being truthful or honorable -- if you say it, then you feel you have to do it.) 

She and Jean leave to let them discuss whether they're going to do it or not.

Eventually, it is decided that it couldn't _hurt._

Meanwhile, outside the walls in Shangri-La, a stadium/amphitheater is constructed. It has splinter-mirrored haze set up, so that while one can look out and see elements of the walls of Babylon, City of Candles, one can't really get a _tactical_ look; only an aesthetic one. (But there is enough Truth to the images reflected to tell that no, this is not a suburb of Hell. Besides, the Symphony is present here -- quieter, but not drowned out in the cacophony of Hell.)

Likewise, all the local relievers (at least, the current ones; Eli seems to _drip_ them from his wings...) are laboriously rounded up and given dogtags. (This could provide a bit of a plot hook if you use this background, and have PCs who need some scutwork job...)

Catering is arranged.

Catering is... Tia and the Kitchens of Creation. Tia is exhorted to _not_ make _everything_ angel-chocolate (she's been indulging in the stuff, tsk), since not everyone wants to be mildly buzzed during an important meeting.

Security is arranged. Kath, lucky Kath, gets to be on it since she's been helping out with things like making fractal mountains on the "borders" in case they really do border on Heaven and Hell somehow (they're basically so complex that you tend to get lost in them, with gravity-rules in effect and tricky "crash you into things" winds to nix flying), and making the stadium, and otherwise being useful. Mnason and Garg are also in on it, natch. The Guard will be on alert to make sure spies don't get through.

So everyone who wishes to attend gathers at that pre-prepared barn (out in the middle of _nowhere_ , whee!), and the gate is opened. 

Nice sets of tiered seating, little name-cards on the seats, refreshments available (mostly only sampled by Marc, despite Tia's hopeful eclair delivered (via reliever) to Laurence's seat). Jean and Lilith have their own seats at the base -- he wants to make sure all the "students" have a good view, and she's conjured up a nice overstuffed chair to lounge in and be on display.

Michael mutters to himself, looking at Lilith in her gown of glittering Geas-tokens, "Stars. HUH!" -- and looks disgusted/grumpy. He also chats with Garg. Little things like, "So, how've you been? Haven't heard about you lately. Renegade, eh? Good, good... Don't suppose you'd like another posting? Already got one, eh? Oh, well. If you ever change your mind..."

A certain amount of "here's what we've been doing" (non-tactical), and "no, no one's Fallen since we got here, been a redemption or two, actually" reassurances open the business part of things.

Laurence gets a bit snarky, and Lilith mentally asks Jean, "You think that I'm this Avatar thingy, right? And that as an Avatar, I can't really be killed?" He mentally replies, "It's a theory..." She ponders, and discards the notion of playing "Gawain and the Green Knight" (with the obvious casting of Green knight) with him.

And then Jean launches into the Third Avatar stuff, referencing Raphael's old papers on the subject, her hints about the possible identity of same.

**And this is where, in the online version, should it advance this far... Jediael gets to step forward and explain her mother's theory, as she has studied it -- her mother's heir.**

"And you can _prove_ this?" asks one of the Council members. (Laurence or Dominic, as I recall.)

Jean says, "I think so." He turns to another Archangel. "Archangel Yves, First Avatar, of Destiny -- is Lilith the Third Avatar?"

Yves looks over at Lilith. "Shall I answer?"

Lilith shrugs, feigning unconcern. "Answer or not, if you wish. I will not make that choice for you."

Yves says, "Then I cannot answer."

For the Elohim in the audience, there is a spike of *ACK!* alarm/fear/bogglement from the (ex?) Princess, and then she clamps down her shields. Jean puts his hand on her shoulder, and semi-unconsciously, she wraps hers around it.

The meeting breaks up around there, since there's not much else to be said after that.

(Tia is still disappointed -- her refreshments were not appreciated by everyone. Though Marc enjoyed them quite openly, so that's not bad, from Tia's point of view.)

Some relievers of War did manage to sneak in -- some didn't make it past auditorium. Others manage to hide out in the mountains for a while, but there's little tactical there, and when they sneak in, they either get nabbed as "too big to be without dogtags" or "trying to wear someone else's dogtags."

They don't get much, but they tried.


	24. Elohite Instruction Manual, Favor-Tokens, Artistic Tokens of Affection

>>Hm. I also need White Chocolate and Arrant Stupidity. And the Elohite Instruction Manual, and the "cruise Lilim" (you'll see why the nickname).

First, the Elohite Instruction Manual, I think.

For various reasons, "those little space aliens" have quite a reputation amongst the Lilim of Shangri-La for being able to "brain-break" any otherwise sensible demon who listens to them for long. In this case, "brain-break" means, "convincingly espouse the benefits of redeeming and having your sense dribble out your ears," or something close.

A large part of that is Dariel's fault, since he was around for both Urilebana and Mehida's self-redemption tricks, but Jean -- now clearly the Grand Vizier -- shares responsibility for this perception of Elohim as supremely tricky beings.

Therefore, there needs to be an instruction manual for how to handle being around them, and having at least a few necessary communications, without your brains dribbling out your ears.

Indeed, there clearly NEEDS to be such a thing! And one Lilim decides that someone should write it (and thus make a bundle charging her siblings, to read it).

Except, mind you, one has to actually _talk_ to an Elohite to find out how they tick, so this is a very dangerous proposition! Which, of course, means that one will have to charge a _lot_ for one's sisters to read it, and be very careful to chart one's changing mindset.

Well, for _almost_ exactly the same reason Lilim don't like to talk to Elohim, this one (who, er, never did get a name, darnit) can _easily_ find an Elohite to talk to her. (He never got a name either.)

(Why, _YES_ , Elohim _do_ like to try to brain-break demons, and are slightly put out that the Rules forbid _talking_ to people about certain subjects unless given permission. Why do you think the Rules forbid it?) **(Because Lilith enjoys mildly annoying Elohim. In both senses, yes.)**

They get on... well. She doesn't charge too much to be talked to, and even braves the infamous Dangerous Elohite Backrub once. She's also quite up front about _why_ she's permitting all this brain-breaking conversation and other interactions.

Now, this is a Lightning Elohite, and of course he's writing his weekly reports that go up the ladder, and from down the ladder comes instruction that this interaction could be valuable -- promote it. And research the Lilim psychology, while you're at it.

This is what gets them going on a cruise ship together, basically. She gets tickets, whatever hooks she picks up, but she has to do a report on her observations. Especially psychological. It is suggested that if her reports are pleasing, useful long-term contract work may be forthcoming.

Much demon/Lilim/angel psychology is discussed. Large chapters on the Elohite Instruction Manual are written. They seem to work together well, and indeed, long-term contract work does appear.

(It should be noted that LightningNet's soc.lilim newsgroup is very busy these days, and gets even more so with soc.lilim.Elohite-Instruction-Maunal.)

Much much later, when the issue comes up, this is the Lilim who volunteers to see what an Archangel-made Heart will do to a non-redeemend Lilim. (She's not _that_ awful, and has been getting better (all that talking about/to Elohim -- the EIM keeps getting longer and longer, and from a demonic Lilim point of view, it's a kind of fascinating self-analysis of how a Lilim brain breaks into ittybitty pieces). So it's worth a try.)

**In the online SSO, this Heart-role is likely to be taken by Beth-Haran the Elder. It's logical.**

Well, it can be done without frying her, and she can descend and ascend to it -- but it's too loud, like having the pure Symphony burning into one's personal symphony from the inside, and she asks that Jean shatter it for her.

At least it provides some raw material for false Hearts, which is a good thing to have.

 

While we're here, we should get to the Helltongue Translation Secretarial Pool of Lilim that eventually forms for Lilim, and the Lilim Liaison (who gets her own office!) who does the dealing for the HTSP (above).

Why is there a HTSP? Well, Lightning _does_ tend to accumulate various intercepted transmissions, scans of demonic stuff, etc., etc. And while Jean's got redeemed to do the translations of things deemed priority, he'd _like_ to have a computer program to do the translations. Or at least all the translations.

So between that and data-entry of stuff they know about Hell, the HTSP can be quite busy.

 

Another aside:

* * *

Favor-tokens. _NOT_ Geas-favor-tokens. Just favor-tokens. See, Lilim like Geasa, and angels don't, but Lilim don't trust unofficials with people they don't know.

So the Creationers (who have set up shop in the square pretty close to the Guildhall) came up with favor-tokens. Little beads with a name, or a Word on them -- little things that sisters would consider unofficials, mostly, with a few bigger ones.

The concept is that if it has someone's name on it, it's a favor that _that_ person has to repay personally. If it's got a Word on it, it's one that could be called in from any Servitor. For a bit of an added distinction, it can have a Choir/Word combination.

Lilim quickly take to this, and will pay an Essence to have a Creationer cook up a bunch of these little things that they can hand out, somewhat like business cards (only for favors). It's more formal than an unofficial, more tradable than an official _or_ unofficial, and useful.

The Guildhall quickly gets a wall-chart that has all known token-values, and what the conversion rate is between them -- rather like stock-trading.

The Lilim Liaison got her post by gathering up a whole big _BAG_ of the things and trucking them to Jean's office, and asking for a Distinction.

She didn't get the Distinction, but for researching the proper way to behave (don't bother groveling, get to the point, don't be insulting) and having the chutzpah to try it, she got a job with an office, a desk, and a little bowl full of favor-tokens to bargain with.

* * *

(I'm zoned, I'm just posting these things from the email...)

During the flirtation, Jean and Liith sent each other tokens of affection.

Her first, to him, was a little Japanese windchime -- basically a little ceramic bell, with a clapper, and a little scroll dangling from it that blows in the wind and makes the bell ring. She painted the bell with stormclouds, and the clapper and scroll have more clouds and a little lightning bolt on them.

He then commissioned a portrait of her, looking out at an oncoming storm from a mountain, the wind in her hair. (This was gotten via a clever use of the Seraph of Lightning attunement; the artist later found the spot and determined that the 'photo' she worked from would have had to have been taken by someone hanging in midair...) The artist, without prompting, entitled the piece "Freedom."

Lilith got a print made from it and relicized it for Jean.

And, hah, I find some old fragments of telling someone else about it. Stupid Me, I didn't remember to save the original, so I only get the fragments from the reply. O:(

> thunderstorm front come swooping in. (Why, yes, he knew that front was there  
> and got her to go on the ride...) This is where he becomes aware that there's  
> Word-synergy between them -- the wildness of a thunderstorm speaks to the  
> Freedom within her, and she watches with an expression of utter delight.  
[...]  
> Lilith decides that Karen is a delightful artist who should in no way be  
> introduced to all the War and whatnot, because she's got 6 Forces naturally  
> and _wasting_ her artistic ability to make her a Soldier would be a tragedy.  
[...]

Karen, the artist in question, gets invited to that corporeal residence, and takes a couple of pictures -- one of Lilith and the Daughters in residence ("her girls") around the pool, in bathing suits, and another out in the woods, wearing 'fey' outfits.

> Then Karen closets herself in her room for a while and emerges with a couple  
> of proofs -- paintings of both scenes -- and the completed work. "Ill Met  
> By Noonlight." The upright part is the pool-scene, but the pool's reflection  
> shows the wooded scene, where everyone is looking dangerous and fey: eyes  
> large and predatory, smiles a bit cruel, slightly-pointed ears, small fangs  
> and sharp fingernails, etc. Sort of Fair Folk with a dark cast...  
[...]  
> Indeed, the piece is _such_ a masterpiece that not only does Eli show up  
> spontaneously to relicize the thing (and thus preserve it from any  
> ravages of time), but Lilith also discovers that a small wild Tether  
> has formed out in the clearing where the night-piece was photographed.  
> Figuring that if it's not stabilized, it's probably going to wander  
> around between the clearing, the poolside, and Karen's room -- and she  
> really doesn't want random angels falling out into her pool -- she rolls  
> her eyes and gives Eli a call. (He shows up on a surfboard. With wave.  
> Sploosh.) This ends up with a stabilized Creation Tether about a half-  
> mile from her estate, with a new-created little Seneschal who flitters  
> around as a wildcat or a dryadic young girl.  
[...]  
> During the last parts of Karen's visit, Lilith gets a painting bug of her  
> own, and promptly sets to work (aided by some web-pics to get the electrical  
> arcs just _right_, via Karen's boyfriend's expertise) on a surreal little   
> piece.  
> Night, the tall fountain that is in her foyer. Starred sky with thunderstorms  
> coming in. Our Favorite Annoying Elohite Archangel in standard vessel,   
> standing next to it, looking off to one side at the oncoming front, dressed   
> all in striking black, with a single crystal-pendant earring as only a   
> starlight-spot. And the fountain with electrical arcs instead of water. 

The Trade-Tether that was delivering all this stuff back and forth got rather used to Odd Packages...

 

Okay, so next it's "White Chocolate and Arrant Stupidity," Victoria and Bella, and then the Hades raid...


	25. Angel Chocolate and Arrant Stupidity

As may be recalled, there is such a thing in the SSO universe as "angel chocolate." (For that matter, it crops up in our campaigns; it did that before the SSO started.) Angel chocolate blurs the boundaries between celestials, rather like a mild, mostly emotional form of the Song of Unity. Naturally, this makes it poisonous to demons (who also think that it stinks horribly), and it's usually a bit poisonous and/or addictive to humans. Dark chocolate does this only a bit, and white chocolate does it a _lot_.

There's also Kath's Special Blend, which includes some of the sensation-sharing aspects of the white stuff, but not all the emotional transcendent sharing aspects. It's a bit cinnamony.

Anyway.

A bunch of blackwings -- both because they're _around_ and because they make nice intimidating cops -- have been assigned to patrol Shangri-La and make sure that people don't go around breaking the Rules. Since the Creationers have set up a "market square" kind of thing in front of the Guildhall, there's usually a guard (but not Guard) or two stationed there.

This being in front of the Guildhall, whichever unlucky Malakite is on duty there will get ogled, commented at, and generally bothered and distracted.

It so happens that one of the Lilim, whom I hereby name Tema because she never got a name otherwise and this will get cumbersome to explain without naming her, developed a bit of a crush on one of the Malakim (of Lighting, IST Discovery), whom I hereby dub Ozias.

So, poor Ozias is standing there, and Tema keeps sauntering up to him, leaning on his shoulder, trying to pet his wings, and otherwise being a PAIN IN THE NECK. Now, while he's as open minded as the next, er... Well, relatively open-minded; unlike some Malakim of Lightning, he didn't leave the building after he read the Urgent Memo email.

Anyway, while he's willing to accept the state of the realm of Shangri-La, he doesn't find Tema particularly honorable. She's a shallow, selfish, somewhat thoughtless, stubborn little demon with a streak of attitude. Who has decided that she's gonna bag herself a blackwing. _Him._

Ozias doesn't want to be bagged, even if some people have commented that she'd lose interest and stop bothering him. A Virtue has his honor to consider, after all, and yielding to the perverse desires of a demon is just not in the cards.

Then he hears about how demons react to angel-chocolate. Nasty stuff, the demons say. Stinky. Drives them right off!

Next duty shift, Ozias is there wearing a necklace, the beads of which are dark angel chocolate.

This keeps her a little ways away, but not enough. You see, she goes looking for an antidote, and finds some suggestions in the Kitchens of Creation, where her sister, Tia, Cooks. (Not just cooks, but Cooks.) Tia provides her with some little candies "from a recipe lying around" which lets Tema endure. Gives her a little buzz, but hey. Besides, even Lilith's been known to take dark chocolate. (Blended with mundane chocolate, in minute amounts, rarely...)

(Actually, they give her a lot of a buzz if she takes more than one; she winds up lying on the top of one of the buildings (which are often grassy, with willows and pools) staring at the stars and feeling vaguely... frustrated that he's not there too. Ahem.)

Drat, thinks Ozias. Time for the stronger stuff! A wreath of white chocolate around his neck!

(It should be noted that the fumes of that tend to make _him_ a little light-headed, which, er, is not necessarily a good idea for a guard, but by this time people are probably more interested in knowing who's going to win. Assign an extra guard to Market Square, and watch the show...)

White chocolate makes Tema's eyes water, even with the candy Tia gave her. Makes her gag, and is generally about as effective as Ozias could hope. Even through a gas-mask, the fumes eventually seep in...

More frustratingly, Ozias has stated that if she can't cope with angel-chocolate, then she doesn't have any hope with _him_. (This is him "hinting" that if she gets redeemed, he'll reconsider. O: > )

They have rather a few conversations along these lines, actually -- her being annoyed that he's not flattered by her interest, him being annoyed that she's not GETTING THE HINT, each trying to sway the other to the "right" point of view.

For good or ill, Tema is starting to get a bit more strongly attached to him (well, at least mentally). This might be her stubborn streak. She might kind of like him. Or something. At least, she's less casual about it now... [Ozias: . o O (Ack! She wouldn't just tumble and leave?? That's even worse!!) ]

Tema goes back to her sister, who is very understanding about unofficials since she's been hanging around the Kitchens of Creation and frying her brain by eating dark angelchocolate. She explains the problem -- i.e., that Ozias is cute, and she wants him to like her, and he keeps using chemical warfare (angelchocolate) to keep her away, and he's said that if she can handle it, then he'll reconsider thinking that she's an annoying demon.

Tia is sweet, and kind, and loves cooking. Tia is NOT Miss Ethereal Forces Out The Kazoo. With much thinking, and suggestions that maybe Tema could try acclimatizing to the dark stuff? No? -- finally digs out a recipe and some ingredients she found in the back of one of the cabinets. Fiery-hot chewy candies. "Take these," says Tia, "and I think you'll be able to cope with the smell, at least."

Tema does. _Big_ buzz! But she can handle the white stuff. She knows she can. She marches back to Market Square. She marches up to her black-winged quarry. She demands to know if _this_ is going to sway him? He declares that she just doesn't _understand!_ She asks, "This white chocolate stuff -- this helps people understand?"

Cornered, conversationally, he admits that yes, it does...

"Fine! I will if you will!"

"..." [brief inner struggle, wherein common sense loses] "Then I will if you will!"

The wreath is _right there_. He gives her a chunk. He takes a chunk. They each take a bite...

Now, in Heaven, taking white chocolate is generally considered a way to get a spiritual tour of the Higher Heavens till the stuff works its way out of your system. You basically get your themes blurred across the Symphony, intermixed with whoever's also dosed with the stuff closest to you. Something like the ultimate good trip; when someone in Heaven serves up a white chocolate Better Than Sex cake, well, it probably is.

In Shangri-La, the Symphony is a bit quieter than in Heaven (though not so faint as in Hell), so it's closer to the effects on Earth. Only without the buffer of corporeal bodies.

Essentially, their minds and souls are thrown into a merger, a union, and just about immediately, they're each understanding things about the other that they really didn't want to know.

...honor/Geases/selfless CONNECTED TO EVERYTHING/self-me-SELF-ME/caring/whims...

And on and on and on, with the Lilim trying to maintain her SELF against the onslaught of Symphony-connection as filtered through angelic nature, and the Malakite having a far better understanding of MEness than he's ever had before.

It's probably a good thing that Ozias can't Fall. As it is, he's wracking up big gobs of dissonance and Discord, while Tema's Forces are starting to unravel.

Fortunately for them both, there's another Lightning Virtue in the square, and a bunch of Lilim watching from the Guildhall -- as soon as they realize that the pair's moans and screams are unconscious reflections of whatever crazy thing they've gotten themselves into (and not, ah, a _good_ reaction), there are some Superior summonings.

Jean and Lilith get there almost at the same time, but Jean has a better idea of what's happened and what to do to fix it, moving in to stabilize Tema's Forces while hastening the chocolate out of their systems, then pulls the Discord out of Ozias before he becomes a little blue puddle. Lilith stands back and takes notes in case this ever crops up again.

Once both Tema and Ozias are coherent again, Jean makes the pithy and succinct comment of, "I trust there will be no repetitions of this arrant stupidity?"

Upon being assured that this is the case ("NO, SIR!"), he bamfs off.

Lilith tells Tema that she's lucky that Jean got to them first, so Tema doesn't owe her anything. Though Tema might want to consider how much she might owe whoever it is who invoked Jean, and those of her sisters who _did_ call Mom when things went bad.

Lilith also asked _why_ Tema attempted such arrant stupidity (she liked the phrase; it was so... to the point), and gets the explanation of the hopeless crush, and that Tia gave her some stuff so she thought she could handle it...

When Eli hears about this thing, he goes digging around and dumps out all the mix that Tia'd been working from, as well as taking back the recipe with some comments of, "So that's where I left it..."

Apparently he'd been working on some way to redeem demons more easily (possibly somewhat against the demon's first inclinations?), and made a recipe so that the demon wouldn't feel the pain from the Symphony as badly...

And that is the story of White Chocolate and Arrant Stupidty.

* * *

* * *

_In cityofcandles comments (http://cityofcandles.livejournal.com/25353.html)_  
     naraht1: I wonder what happens the next time they meet. Does Tema *still* go after Ozias and if so, does he accept her. If she's still willing to try, she might just be honorable for Ozias now.  
     me: I recall that they are both more respectful and more uncomfortable with each other than before. I think they occasionally talk, but the experience has rather cooled Tema's jets.  
     narahtl: The other question is whether her exposure to the symphony changes her relation to the Bright Lilim.  
     me: I suspect that she thinks they're even more fruitcakes than she did before...

* * *


	26. Bella and Victoria

_ >Okay, so now it's "White Chocolate and Errant Stupidity," Victoria and Bella, and then the Hades raid..._

Superiors have ways of indicating that, just perhaps, they'd like a quiet word with one another. And so it is that Michael and Lilith have a quiet cup of coffee and discuss minor things such as decorous gratitude for his... restraint at the Council's Shangri-La meeting, and certain prophetic (maybe) words of someone they both know, and other such veiled circumlocutions (but not too circuitous, since there is a Seraph present) as Superiors use when they're trying to be tactful and diplomatic.

There are a few other happenstances to discuss as well, such as the recovery and subsequent gifting of the _true_ Shroud of Turn to War, reasons why Lilith did such a thing, etc., etc. [I can't particularly discuss that one, as there are certain matters involved which might someday be a surprise to someone **(the Word of Knowledge was involved, muwhahaha)**. But suffice it to say that an ex-Fate **[Free]** Lilim and her Creationer Cherub stumbled across a cache of Secrets, disabled the Djinn guardian (the Shroud makes a very nasty celestial whip; they DIDN'T mention that the Cherub'd been using it as a weapon...), and that Lilim is now walking around with a relic sword that, when summoned and drawn, has the "Obviously a relic" Feature times about 10 -- it all but screams "Michael (yes, THAT Michael) Made Me For My Holder!"]

In any case, a deal is struck, involving Forces, Essence, vague future good will... and Lilim.

And so it is that, in a certain tent in the Groves (the tent-flaps well drawn and secured), a young Lilim named Victoria is crafted. She wanders around, and does a few swings of this axe that's hanging on the wall ("Hey, that's _mine_!" "Can I borrow the car, too, Dad?"), and is a quite easy greenie to stick wings on, all burgundy and scarlet... (And, unlike the other Heavenborn, Victoria is _not_ introduced to the Council. Mike's a tricky, sneaky old snake.)

And later, in a little bower made within the Auditorium (where the Council was held) in Shangri-La, some War-Forces, one bargained out of Garg, and some more "generic" Forces are stirred together... and Bella results, all Amazonian buffness and attitude.

Bella, upon her genesis, correctly points out that a certain tricky old snake is probably hanging around with a big Ethereal Form Song. She bargains another Geas upon her for an extra Force. She goes wandering about, and ventures into the Halls of Creation, a bemused Lilith in tow. There, Bella pokes around until she finds... Creation's master swordsmith.

There are many swordsmiths, of course. Stone has them, Creation has them, War has them, and of course the Sword has them. They probably, in less troubled times, had century get-togethers where they displayed their best works -- things of rare beauty and craft, elegant and perfect in their own ways, frequently enchanted to be even more superb. This one is the one who is with Creation, and -- as should be expected (because even though it's typecasting, it's typecasting with reason) -- is a Virtue.

This means he's rather surprised to have Lilith and a green Daughter wander into his shop/rooms, but takes it well enough. It transpires that Bella finds some of his best work, reverently tests its balance -- and places it back, saying, "When I'm good enough, I'll be back to bargain."

(Forces and memetics can be entertaining things.)

Then Bella selects some lesser works, which -- since Creationers tend to look on created objects as things to be given to those who need them and can use them -- are easily enough obtained. And from there, to the Guard, where she quickly enrolls as one of the troops.

She's placed under Ethanim, the Habbalite lieutenant. (Talitha being Garg's other lieutenant. The pair of them each head up teams that compete against each other. Such is the nature of an affair with a Habbalite that each competes his or her hardest in order to prove that he (or she) is worthy of the association.) He quickly figures out that she is a natural, and promptly dumps her into the toughest obstacle courses (including ones which he has utterly rigged to be near impossible at best). Because she's tough, and can take it.

Bella seems to be thriving -- or at least _something_ \-- under this rough treatment, so Lilith makes eyebrows at Garg, rolls her eyes, mutters about Force memetics, and wanders off again. She doesn't mention who all the Force-doners are, though of course Garg knows that she recently bargained for one of his...

For those who wonder, Bella seems to favor maces and flails over axes.

 

For those keeping count, named Guard include Garg, Ethanim, Talitha, Jade, Celia, and Bella. (Important unnamed include the Elohite quartermaster and the very twitchy Lightning Virtue.) Don't forget those Lilim. They'll be important later...

 

[Well, that gets us up to the Hades Raid, doesn't it...]


	27. A Brief Digression Involving Staciel

So I'm working on a writeup of the Hades raid, and... Oh, right. That reminds me. Staciel. A brief digression.

Staciel is the Demon of Intrigue. Her writeup is in Heaven & Hell. Her errata is at <http://www.sjgames.com/in-nomine/errata> (and H&H link). She's a Lilim. Countess, I recall.

Staciel (not her real name, clearly) was last assigned to track down Kathriel and capture her. (Kath having taken part in that raid into Hell to get Urilebana rescued.) Except as Lilim are still recruiting Outcasts... she shows up, asking to see Lilith, and carting a relic.

It so happens that Lilith was talking with Jean at the time, and after a certain amount of, "And do we trust her? Errrrr," Jean says, "Let her in. I'm on guard."

Thus, Staciel comes in, porting a big ol' Force Rifle. (Yeah, "that old thing," again.) She attempts to use it to "arrest" her Mother, and words are spoken -- "You're really bucking to be disowned, kid..." "I disown _you_!" -- and it turns out that the Force Rifle is a bluff. She throws it, overloading, in Superior directions... and lashes out with a Game-noose.

>      [Game-nooses; relic. The holder can drag a noosed celestial into celestial form, and to celestial realms. Holder pays Essence costs for this. Resisted by Will minus the relic level. Removable with a Strength roll, generally. Dodged normally. Requires a Precision roll (or Small Weapons (Noose) depending on GM) to land it around the neck (or other body part). Gamesters favor the neck, 'cause then you can use it as a garrote. Also note: I love these things, they're useful, and I _do_ intend to try to get them into whatever Superiors book Azzie shows up in. I was using them in my fic before the SSO. The appearance is that of a little gold-wire, well, lasso.]  
>       [[I believe Game-nooses eventually made it into the Liber Reliquarum. Because they are just _too useful_.]]

Unfortunately for Stace, trying things like that in an Archangel's Cathedral is perhaps... unwise. Her aim is off, and -- thinking she's noosed her Mother -- she zoops back down to her Heart in Hell.

Lilith looks at Jean. "What did she just get?"

Jean replies, "A power-storage unit. Unfortunately, it's unstable when removed from the Halls."

Down in Hades, there is a very big boom.

Rumors have it that Valefor is sighted in the area. Asmodeus is snarked. Staciel... is nowhere to be found.

And neither is her Heart.

* * *

_Sariel: Just noting, while I'm thinking about it: chronologically in OTT timeline, this happened shortly before Moonie and Deborah's party and the Marches Assault, because Jean flashed pictures of it at Beth-haran during the party. [grins]_

* * *


	28. Raid on Hades, plus a map and a non-canon Superior (even for SSO)

_At 11:59 PM -0500 2/17/03, Elizabeth McCoy wrote:_  
_> Okay, so now it's "White Chocolate and Arrant Stupidity," Victoria and Bella, and then the Hades raid..._

Not all Lilim got to Shangri-La, of course. Many bound ones, well... Let's just say that there was a bit of a "loyalty crusade" going on. Baal, Kronos, and other Princes with whom Asmodeus gets along with "okay" got to keep most of theirs (now laden with Geases sworn to their Princes). Anyone Azzie was on the outs with? Heh. You guessed it. LILIM RAID! It's not easy being green...

Word... gets around. Lilim are scarce on the ground, and a few comments and vanishments alert Shangri-La to the Lilim raids. The Superiors there are not surprised.

Jean proposes a little... rescue mission. Lilith can, he determines, track her Daughters who owe her. And then, they can figure out how to pinpoint where the _concentration_ of them are. And, being Superiors, and Lilith knowing the landscape of Hell, why, they can figure out where to drop pinpoint teams!

Well, one pinpoint team, anyway. The pinpoint team in question is:  
Ethanim (the "Habbalite guard with the captive Wookie(s)")  
Bella (Lilim with War Forces, which she and Lilith aren't mentioning)  
Celia (sniper and knives, grudge against the Game)  
Emma (Mnason's second in command Special Lilim Friend)  
Jade (Kath's (and other Creationers') Daughter)

Armed with Freedom relics (little hammers that shatter Will Shackles and similar restraints; the person wearing the restraint gets a bit of a headrush, but is relatively unharmed), they're dropped into a relatively unguarded area. Ethanim brings the lot of them in as "new prisoners."

Mayhem ensues.

The auditorium (where the Council met) is set up for triage and healing and sorting and general streamlined Rules Sorting In. When the team has acquired enough Lilim, they basically send a "Haul 'em up!" message, and _zoop_ , Superior Power Expenditure does so. Zoop. Zoop. Zoop. Then they start in on the non-concentrations of Lilim, with some Celestial Motion-style plopping the team down. This pits Jade against a Baron of the Game, unfortunately, and the somewhat overconfident young Lilim is starting to get in deep trouble. Lilith's response to this (when informed of it via attuned Cherub (probably one of Jade's Force-parents, actually) is to plop Kathriel down and have her save Jade's hide. This is done. The Balseraph Baron is brought back as well, for interrogation and, since it is pretty awful, rendering down to a nice Bal-hide-covered book. [SSOgame players may now cough *Jediael* here.]

Most of the rescued Lilim are (ex-)Servitors of Princes not fairly strongly affiliated with the Game. I.e., a relatively huge number of Lust, Dark Humor, Gluttony, Theft, and those of the Media who could be acquired despite their high-profile Roles. There are some Factioners, Techies, the stray Mammonite, etc., as well. Nil on Baalites or Fate-Lilim, maybe one or two Nightmares. You get the picture.

As Princes start pulling a shield over Hades, the team is zooped up. Not all Lilim have been rescued, mind -- just the ones who were in close proximity to those who owed Lilith (or a Shangri-La Lilim) something, which let them be traced. Lilim _not_ close to a traced sister... are still captive. C'est la vie.

* * *

_http://cityofcandles.livejournal.com/26536.html  
naraht1: For Jediael, that would be a neat attunement, either for Malakites or for one of the higher ranks._

_At the moment of Celestial Death (or whatever the term is for being completely destroyed as opposed to just sent back to your heart), an angel with this attunement may spend 5 essence to create a book containing the knowledge that the destroyed angel had. For anyone using the book, they must roll under the book creating celestial's perception to see if the piece of information that they are looking for made it into the book from the killed celestial._

_Me: Innnnteresting. I will keep it in mind._

_naraht1: Cool. Now all she needs is servitors to give it to. :)_

* * *

And <http://cityofcandles.livejournal.com/32607.html> has a map...  


This map is more important later. Soon? Something.

<https://archangelbeth.livejournal.com/pics/catalog/2713/13604/>  
  
_This is, as noted, swiped entirely from Brian Moseley's work. And redone a teeny bit. Where the not-so-good parts are. I may mung on it further someday. In the meantime, please visit<http://www.darkfuries.com/> and buy his stuff. He's a much better map-maker than I._

* * *

* * *

# SSO Alternate Universe Superior: Balance

[This was on the main mailing list a while back. It's not even canon for SSO, much less regular IN...]

 

A long while back, someone asked about these. So.

These are not canon. These are not even canon in an "IMC" sense. These are based off of a "what-if" at 3am that is _loosly_ connected to some IMC stuff. (IMC = In My Campaign, for those who haven't seen that TLA before.)

Premise1: A Lilim named Urichislon who has shown up in some of my private fanfic who is, basically, weird. Many people who meet her come away with the sneaking suspicion that either she's an Elohite painted green with horns stuck on, or else... Well, there's a lot of other "or elses" around to speculate on. Anyway.

Premise2: A third side with Lilith on it. (We will not get into this one. It's part of the premise, affects some of the minor details, and that's all that really matters.)

Premise3: By hook or by crook, Urichislon gets a Word. The Word that I was thinking of with insomnia at 3am was "Balance." (Uri's sort of a "Gray Renegade" personality, who mostly slipped under Game radar by being too weak and unobtrusive to be noticed.

Premise4: Uri gets promoted to Superior. 

Now, for various and sundry reasons, Uri deems it appropriate to have Lilim. But she can't make them -- at least not the way that Lilith can.

So she clones herself.

The Urim (singular: Urim, and it's plural for a REASON) are unique creations of Urichislon. They are all at least nine Forces. They are all demonic -- or at least as demonic as Urichislon is (which is a subject of debate sometimes, but we're not going there). They all _look_ like her in celestial form, no matter what vessels they have -- after a while, they may develop subtle differences, but otherwise, each Urim is indistinguishable from another. (With one exception -- Bright Urim are only look-alikes for each other; they get the wings and aura of Bright Lilim.)

They all act pretty much like Urichislon, too: reserved, an understated curiosity, and a gift for deadpan comments. They don't gossip amongst Lilim, much, either. But somehow, what one Urim is told, the others seem to find out quickly.

There's a reason for that.

There's only one Uri, and she is Many.

Urichislon creates Urim by manifesting herself (as Superiors can, see the GMG), carefully stripping the manifestation down to size, and "detaching" it as a separate individual. Think of it as "budding." The new Urim knows everything that Uri-prime knew at that time, though without access to a Superior-level mind, many unaccessed memories fade quickly. She will gain her own memories and experiences, of course, and the nuances of her personality will acquire its own quirks.

But she's still _connected_.

Urim have the Lilim talent for Needs and Geases, but what they also resonate to is _each other_. Urim always know each other. Always. Urim are always _connected_ to the Urim gestalt. This isn't a Borg thing, quite -- they don't _necessarily_ enter into a state of being  
One Being. But they can always hear the murmur of their otherselves' sister-thoughts, and with a moment of concentration, tap into the network. (Treat this as the Ethereal Song of Tongues, for no Essence cost, with any other Urim anywhere in the Symphony.)

Archangels have noted that redeeming an Urim always feels like they're "pushing something uphill that's heavier than it looks," but so far, none have guessed the truth. Urim don't tell them. Urim don't tell _anyone_ that they are One. Why should they? (You don't _get_ disloyal Urim -- that would be like having a finger rebell against the body. If a Urim became that diseased, she would be reabsorbed.)

_[This is basically intended to be a Malakim Don't Fall kind of thing. Urim Don't Defect. Your campaign may vary, of course, but it's the Fallen Malakite level of vary.]_

So the Superior of Balance quietly moves about her apolitical business, infiltrating the ranks of other Superiors with her perfectly loyal (so long as it serves Balance) Urim. And should the balance be upset, well, someone will have to set things to rights.

#### Choir/Band Attunements

Urim have the same Choir and Band Attunements as Lilim. They are, after all, a subspecies.

#### Attunements of Balance

None are known at this time; Urichislon _only_ employs Urim as Servitors. (Nepotisim is great.) Other celestials who serve her are "temps," just as her Mother uses.

#### Rites:

(All Urim have these Rites; even the Bright ones. No, there is no dissonance if an angelic Urim uses a Rite of Balance.)

* Restore the Symphonic balance in an area.  
* Gain a Heart from another Superior.

**Invocation:** (roll 1d6; the chance that you'll be near an Urim whom Urichislon can "possess" to take your call, so to speak, varies...)

Uri is more receptive to those who aren't working for her than any other Superior -- do _not_ apply the -10 for "not my Boss" at all, when trying to get her attention! Of course, she _is_ a Lilim, and quite likely to charge you for helping out.

Urim, naturally, can _always_ contact Uri-prime, taking only a moment (a round or two, if in a combat situation) to enter the gestalt. But they won't do it unless it's important enough. (They may consult with the gestalt and see if it's important enough, from the Whole Perspective; this looks a lot like a "failed invocation" to bystanders, if the gestalt decides it's not important. Urim are always very blase about 'failed Invocations.')

_Invocation Modifiers:_  
\+ Geaslevel: As for Lilith -- if you swear a Geas as you call her, add the level to the invocation target.  
+1: Scales or a teeter-totter, perfectly balanced.  
+2: Two debaters, evenly matched on either side of an arguement.  
+3: _Three_ debaters, likewise.  
+4: A half-dozen Elohim, of different Superiors.  
+5: Two or more powerful people, deadlocked on a vote. (The Seraphim Council, a meeting of Princes, the United Nations, etc.)  
+6: Superiors from both sides, evenly matched.  
+Sure Thing: Armegeddon. Duh.

 

There. Use them or not. You now have insight as to what my slumber-starved brain spits out at three in the morning when I can't fall back to sleep.


	29. Some allusions to Desire

_I should re-read these entries more.... Let's rewind. I think I didn't actually explain any of this. ...actually, let's CHOP THIS UP and try to make it make sense._

**1:** Lilith and Kathriel made a deal. Lilith wants a little more counterbalance to the featherwings that surround her. Kathriel wants, like any good Creationer, to destroy Lust. Kathriel has a habit of being Redemption Squad, because Sculpting bad demons into angels is something she likes to do. Or at least less-bad demons, which itches her Oaths like anything, but she's taking a long view here. Will enlightened self-interest provoke demons into not doing bad things on Earth, to humans? OKAY THEN LET'S DO THIS.

Lilith raises Kathriel to Superiorhood, in secret. Because she's an Avatar of the Symphony and can apparently do this thing and she's going to go have a lie-down now and some booze. ...great, more relievers are in the place. Wonderful.

**2:** Kathriel romps around pretending that she's gone absolutely cracked in ways that Lust approves of, targeting Lust-Tethers and other establishments, and beating them at their own game. (In the process, she steals a Habbalite of Lust (Going by the nom-de-Terra of Karl Marks) who now worships her and would break himself in any way she wanted. And because it's important to her plots, short and long-term, to keep him demonic... So be it. He has stopped caring about "angel" or "demon." He will serve her, and thereby serve the Symphony. Karl is a weird, weird Habbie.) Eventually, she gets Andre interested.

**3:** As a byproduct, Kath liberates a number of workers from some of the Lust strongholds she's trashed. And sets up the _Desire_ Nightclub, which is mostly staffed with celestials, but also some of the humans who are deriving agency from their skills, in a Creation-themed way. (Also, it's In Nomine and there are apparently Themes. *rolls eyes indulgently*) 

**4:** It works. Annoyance becomes interest becomes obsession. And obsession is adjacent to caring. And caring is dissonant to Lust.

[[[[PAUSING HERE FOR COMPUTER ISSUES]]]]]

* * *

**So... re-reading old logs...**

Put ze spouse in a mode to ponder what might be happening.

Okay, so as of the last log I posted (and, curse it, I know there's more, including a 666 on Hiram -- because if God gets Liriel, Lucifer wants a Malakite in exchange, I guess -- but I don't know where that file is anymore...): http://www.prismnet.com/~arcangel/GamingWarStories/SSO/SSO207.html

* * *

So. Kathriel had apparently faked out the Game by pretending to be Just This Wordbound, while actually having been elevated to Archangel of Sculpting. After enduring enough abuse in the Halls of Loyalty, down in Hades, that Asmodeus really thought he could twist her wings and screw up her brain to make her Game-obedient... She unfolded her Forces, tore off some of his, did a number on his celestial and corporeal forms, and ran up to the Desire nightclub -- which did not survive the experience.

After a bit of time to recover, she hatched a plot with Andrealphus... Yeah, that Andrealphus, the Prince of Lust, ex-Love, whose Word had once started to pain him because Kathriel had been doing her... yeah, I think Damndest is the right term... to make him _care_ about her.

Why? Because what was the last thing he did when his Word pained him? He ran away from it.

(Basically, Lilith is feeling somewhat twitchy about all the feathered wings around, and so few princes. General Garg isn't willing to be Word-bound yet, let alone elevated; she'll probably get there, but it's like pushing a particularly recalcitrant boulder uphill. Mnason is going to be elevated any day now. She'd like to snag a Prince.

Kathriel would like to destroy the Word of Lust. Kathriel and Lilith made a Deal... This is where the whole Desire Nightclub thing started.)

Anyway, the plot is: Andre will "capture" Kathriel, while Asmodeus is still weakened from their fight and looking, celestially, rather more like a Cherub than he should. Asmodeus will _probably_ assume that Kathriel is going to pull exactly the same stunt: wait till Andre has his guard down, molesting his prize with Force-to-Force Word overrun, then try to kill him. This will leave Lust badly wounded, and Azzie can simply have some of his people (and possibly Baal's as well...) watching for the fireworks, and move in on the crippled "softie" Prince afterward, nailing him for consorting with angels more than he should. With real luck, he'll be able to move in _early_ , calling in Baal and/or Belial for muscle, and be able to rend _Kathriel_ Force from Force, as well.

Because there's no way that a Malakite Archangel, spawned from Creation, could join with the Impudite Prince of Lust (Creation's greatest enemy, and a DEMON), and intermingle their Forces enough to channel _his_ Word's power through _her_ Word's finesse, and yoink approximately one third of Shal-Mari out of Hell and land it in Shangri-La.

No way. No freakin' way. No way in... WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING AND WHY IS THERE A GIANT CRATER IN SHAL-MARI THAT NONE OF BAAL, BELIAL, OR VAPULA PUT THERE?

...I gotta get to bed early-ish and haven't done my daily self-post yet. I need to remember to do the contintuation stuff instead of just catch-up. This is catch-up.


End file.
